In Pictures

Progress made as firefighters battle new blaze near Los Angeles

Evacuation orders lifted for thousands as firefighters, with air support, slow a massive wildfire north of LA.

Inmate firefighters from the Growlersburg crew hike up a mountain to create a containment fire line to control the Hughes fire in Castaic, a northwestern neighbourhood of Los Angeles County, California. [Apu Gomes/AFP]

Published On 24 Jan 202524 Jan 2025

Firefighters who battled through the night to tame a new blaze that erupted near Los Angeles appeared to be making progress, even as dangerous fire weather continued throughout Southern California.

A massive response involving aircraft, bulldozers and 4,000 personnel had swung into action as flames raced across hillsides in Castaic, 56km (35 miles) north of Los Angeles.

About 31,000 people were ordered to flee their homes, heaping misery on a region already reeling from the two deadly fires that ripped through America’s second biggest city this month.

The newly emerged Hughes fire continued to grow overnight, and by Thursday had consumed 10,000 acres (4,050 hectares), but its rate of growth had slowed considerably after an explosive first few hours.

Firefighters said the blaze was 14 percent contained – an expression of how much of the perimetre they are confident is static.

Evacuation orders were lifted on Thursday for tens of thousands as firefighters with air support slowed the spread of a huge wildfire churning through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles, but new blazes erupted in San Diego County, briefly triggering more evacuations. [Apu Gomes/AFP]

Southern California is under a red flag warning for critical fire risk through Friday. The area has been facing constant challenges in controlling the fires, as dangerous winds gained strength again on Thursday. [Apu Gomes/AFP]

Crews made significant progress by late afternoon on the Hughes fire, with more than one-third of it contained. [Apu Gomes/AFP]

The Hughes fire broke out on Wednesday morning and in less than a day charred nearly 41 square kilometres (16 square miles) of trees and brush near Castaic Lake, a popular recreation area about 64km (40 miles) from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that are burning for a third week. [Apu Gomes/AFP]

Rain is forecast for the weekend, potentially ending Southern California's months-long dry spell. Winds are also not as strong as they were when the Palisades and Eaton fires broke out, allowing for firefighting aircraft to dump tens of thousands of gallons of fire retardant. [Apu Gomes/AFP]

Rain was expected to start on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Officials welcomed the wet weather, but crews also were shoring up hillsides and installing barriers to prevent debris flows as residents returned to the charred Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas. [Apu Gomes/AFP]

The California fires have overall caused at least $28bn in insured damage and probably a little more in uninsured damage. [Apu Gomes/AFP]

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

Firefighters watch the Hughes fire burn on the side of the road in Castaic. [Apu Gomes/AFP]