In Pictures

New rapidly growing wildfire breaks out north of Los Angeles

A rapidly growing wildfire broke out north of Los Angeles, evacuations ordered for 31,000 people.

The Hughes fire came as the greater Los Angeles area was on edge after two enormous fires tore through the United States's second largest metropolis. [David Swanson/Reuters]

Published On 23 Jan 202523 Jan 2025

A rapidly growing wildfire broke out north of Los Angeles, while two major fires burning in the metropolitan area for more than two weeks were getting under control, fire officials said.

Ferocious flames devoured hillsides near Castaic Lake on Wednesday, spreading rapidly to cover more than 9,400 acres (3,800 hectares) in just a few hours.

Evacuations were ordered for 31,000 people around the lake, which sits 56km (35 miles) north of Los Angeles, and close to the city of Santa Clarita.

The United States Forest Service said the entire 700,000-acre (2,800sq-km) park in the San Gabriel Mountains was closed to visitors.

As the new fire raged, the two deadly fires that have ravaged Los Angeles came under greater control, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said.

Since the two fires broke out on January 7, they have burned an area nearly the size of Washington, DC, killed 28 people and damaged or destroyed nearly 16,000 structures, Cal Fire said.

Private forecaster AccuWeather projects damage and economic losses at more than $250bn.

Members of a firefighting crew battle the Hughes fire near Castaic Lake. [Ringo Chiu/Reuters]

Firefighters watch the flames from the Hughes fire scorch the hillside in Castaic, a neighbourhood in northwest Los Angeles County. [Robyn Beck/AFP]

Firefighters light backfires as they fight the Hughes fire near Castaic. [Robyn Beck/AFP]

A helicopter drops water over the Hughes fire in Castaic. [Apu Gomes/AFP]

A man who left the fire zone gets water as a plume of smoke from the Hughes fire fills the sky in Castaic. [Robyn Beck/AFP]

People evacuate their homes as the Hughes fire burns in Castaic. [Joel Angel Juarez/Reuters]

Evacuations were ordered for 31,000 people around Castaic Lake, which sits 56km (35 miles) north of Los Angeles, and close to the city of Santa Clarita. [Joel Angel Juarez/Reuters]

A cloud of smoke from the Hughes fire rises near Castaic Lake. [David Swanson/Reuters]