s fireAnother new wildfire broke out on Wednesday morning in the rugged mountains located in the north of the already burning Los Angeles. The Hughes fire is spreading rapidly much like all the other fires that burned through acres of land in the past few days. Dark fumes of smoke have dropped the visibility as well as the air quality index in the area significantly. The firefighters are already working overtime battling wildfires across 45 square miles of LA county. Other similar wildfires including the Eaton and Palisades fire are still active. More than 30,000 residents in Southern California have received evacuation orders. This article brings you all the latest updates about the Hughes fires.
What Is The Current Situation In Los Angeles?
The disaster still is not over. Los Angeles after battling with devastating wildfires for the past fifteen days, saw another huge fire breaking out in the mountain area. The death toll is constantly rising and 28 people have already lost their lives in the fires as of Thursday. A total of 22 individuals were reported missing while thousands of others had to leave their residences. Firefighters are still working overtime trying to contain the fires while strong winds continue gusting at 42 mph.
The dry weather paired with the Santa Ana winds continues to threaten fire containment. However, the firefighting aircraft as well as the crew on the ground has significantly controlled the situation, especially on the southern side.
How Did The Los Angeles Fire Start?
The Los Angeles wildfires erupted in the first week of 2025 right after the New Year celebration. It was fueled by the powerful offshore winds and the extremely dry conditions. Some believe that the reason for the start of these catastrophic fires was the fireworks from New Year’s Eve. However, the real cause behind the massive fires across Los Angeles is still under investigation.
The fires have already burned through more than 14,000 structures in LA County and claimed around 28 lives. The city of LA which always saw an abundance of rainfall has not seen any in the last nine months. This is mainly because of climatic changes. The drought-like conditions have also heightened the threat of more fires like Palisades, Eaton, and Hughes.
How Bad Is The New Fire Breakout In Hughes?
The Hughes fire that broke out in the north of Los Angeles on Wednesday is spreading just as fast as the previous ones. It has reportedly burned through more than 9,400 acres of land. Hughe also fueled by strong winds that have been the main reasons behind the spread of the Palisades and Eaton fires.
It took around 2 hours for the Hughes fire to grow two-thirds the size of the Eaton fire. However, the area severely affected wasn’t as heavily populated as Eaton or Palisades. Matthew Van Hagen who is the spokesperson for the firefighters mentioned that the area is sparsely populated. But, they are dealing with high winds along with a very respective fuel bed and steep topography.
The Hughes fire is around 50 miles away from LA and has sent huge plumes of smoke into the sky. This has worsened the air quality and visibility around the hilly area. The firefighters are battling multiple fires on various fronts.
What Are The Precautionary Measures Taken By The Authorities?
The authorities issued warnings to those living in the Castaic Lake area of LA County about the immediate threat to life they are facing. Most of the areas located in Southern California are still under red-flag warning. These areas are at high risk of fire breakouts.
Around 31,000 residents received mandatory evacuation orders from the authorities. While 23,000 residents are under evacuation warnings which means they may have to evacuate any time soon.
The Angeles National Forest also informed about the closure of the 700,000-acre park located in the San Gabriel Mountains. No visitors are allowed to go to the park until the situation gets back into control. The authorities also closed the Interstate 5 highway shortly due to low visibility.
Firefighters Report Progress In Containing The Palisades And The Eatons Fires
While Hughes continues to trouble the firefighters, we have finally received some positive news. Progress is reported in containing the bigger fires ravaging LA for the last 2 weeks. According to the firefighters, the Eaton fire ravaging through 14,021 acres east of LA is now contained up to 91%. While the bigger Palisades fires which burned through 23,448 acres west of LA are contained up to 68%.
It is important to note that 100% containment does not mean that the fires are extinguished. It simply means that the fires are no longer spreading to further areas. Nevertheless, the news of firefighters making the much-awaited progress in containing these fires definitely brings relief and a glimmer of hope in the hearts.
Conclusion
The new breakout of Hughes fires will definitely strain the firefighters even more. However, there is no doubt that they are doing their best. The Hughes is already contained up to 14% from zero which is significant progress. The residents of the area must look out for any further updates from the authorities and obey the evacuation orders strictly. Those who are living in the areas under evacuation warnings, must keep themselves alert and connected to the local authorities.
