Firefighters gain control of new wildfires in Southern California as critical fire weather conditions wane
The most recent fire, the Laguna Fire, was reported in Ventura County on Thursday morning.
Roaring winds drive fire weather danger in Southern California through Friday
With rain finally in the forecast the weekend, firefighters have been busy containing new fire starts amid critical fire weather due to roaring Santa Ana winds. Firefighters were able to stop forward progression of the newest fires, the Laguna and Sepulveda fires.
Fast Facts:
- Firefighters continue to battle wildfires across Southern California, with the Hughes Fire exploding to more than 10,000 acres in hours.
- Critical fire conditions are waning across the region, with isolated pockets of rain expected over weekend.
- Beneficial rain is on the way but could trigger mudslides in burn-scar areas.
LOS ANGELES – Firefighters in Southern California have been conducting more fierce wildfire fights as crews race to contain and extinguish several fires that broke out on Wednesday and Thursday.
The most recent fire, the Laguna Fire, was reported near the community of Camarillo in Ventura County on Thursday morning. After rapidly spreading, more than 200 Ventura County firefighters were able to hold the fire at 50 acres as of Thursday afternoon.
According to the Ventura County Fire Department, the Laguna Fire ignited near Laguna Road in the Oxnard plains.
Watch: Helicopter video shows Laguna Fire firefight from above
A video provided by the Ventura County Fire Department provides a bird’s-eye view of the fight against the Laguna Fire that broke out on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025.
Because of the threat, Cal State University Channel Islands ordered the immediate evacuation of its campus. The order was lifted later in the day when Ventura County firefighters were able to work on containment and stop the progression of the blaze.
Officials with CAL FIRE said the Sepulveda Fire broke out near the heavily traveled 405 Freeway in the area of North Sepulveda Boulevard and Getty Center Drive near Sherman Oaks.
Crews on the ground and in the air worked tirelessly to get that fire under control. A few hours later, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) announced that all forward progress on the Sepulveda Fire had been stopped, and all evacuation warnings had been lifted.
No evacuation orders were announced, but some areas that had been placed under an evacuation warning had previously been impacted by the still-burning Palisades Fire.
DOWNLOAD THE FREE FOX WEATHER APP
This image shows the Sepulveda Fire burning near the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles County.
(FOX 11 Los Angeles / FOX Weather)
The LAFD said no structures had been damaged, and no injuries were reported.
Firefighters remained on the scene through Wednesday night to monitor the area, and traffic on the 405 Freeway was impacted as crews worked alongside the highway.
Further south in San Diego County, firefighters battled what was known as the Border 2 Fire around Otay Mountain.
Initial estimates put the blaze at around 600 acres, but due to the rural nature of the terrain near the U.S.-Mexico border, no significant structures were threatened.
Photo of the Border 2 Fire in San Diego County.
(CAL FIRE / FOX Weather)
MUCH-NEEDED RAIN EYES SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA THIS WEEKEND: WHAT IT MEANS FOR BURN SCARS, WILDFIRES
Hughes Fire triggers evacuation warnings
Inferno from Hughes Fire consumes hills in Los Angeles County
Video captured of the Hughes Fire captured by Bernard Deyo shows the rapidly spreading fire and wildfire smoke near Castaic Lake.
Firefighters were already hard at work trying to contain and extinguish the rapidly spreading Hughes Fire before the Sepulveda Fire broke out amid gusty Santa Ana winds that were continuing to plague Southern California.
The Hughes Fire exploded in size Wednesday near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County, swelling to more than 10,000 acres by early Thursday morning. At one point, while the inferno was raging Wednesday, it was estimated that more than 30 acres were being consumed by flames every minute.
CalFire responds to more than 12 fires in 24 hours amid extreme fire danger
CalFire Battalion Chief David Acuna joins FOX Weather to discuss the latest fires breaking out in Southern California. Fire Weather Warnings are extended through Friday as the fire danger remains high. Fires are moving extremely quickly because of strong Santa Ana winds and dry grasses.
CalFire Battalion Chief David Acuña said firefighters responded and contained more than a dozen fires before the Hughes Fire. He said the dry grasses, caused by the last few years of rainy seasons, led to the quickly spreading flames.
"It's layers and layers of grass between our rainy seasons we've had the last few years, along with less of a fire season," Acuña said. "In 2024, to this point, we had 4 acres burned. Compared to now, we've got more than 50,000 acres burned. So it's a stark contrast. And so now that we're in this, when the fire starts, it moves along that fuel very, very quickly."
WATCH: HUGHES FIRE INFERNO CONSUMES HILLS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY
![This image shows the Sepulveda Fire burning near the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles County.]()
Image 1 of 19This image shows the Sepulveda Fire burning near the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles County. (FOX 11 Los Angeles)
![Downed power lines on Lake Hughes Road in Castaic on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. The Hughes fire more than 10,000 acres.]()
Image 2 of 19Downed power lines on Lake Hughes Road in Castaic on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. The Hughes fire more than 10,000 acres. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) ( )
![Rapidly Growing Hughes Fire North Of Los Angeles]()
Image 3 of 19A firefighter truck backs up from flames of smoke from the new Hughes Fire at the Lake Hughes Road in Castaic, a northwestern neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 22, 2025. (Apu GOMES / AFP)
![Rapidly Growing Hughes Fire North Of Los Angeles]()
Image 4 of 19Emergency vehicles are on the side of the road as flames from the Hughes Fire race up the hill in Castaic, a northwestern neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 22, 2025. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP)
![Rapidly Growing Hughes Fire North Of Los Angeles]()
Image 5 of 19A sheriff takes photos as flames from the Hughes Fire race up the hill in Castaic, a northwestern neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 22, 2025. (FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP)
![Rapidly Growing Hughes Fire North Of Los Angeles]()
Image 6 of 19Castaic, CA - January 22:Tankers drop Phos-Chek on the front edge of the Hughes fire in Castaic, CA on Wednesday, January 22, 2025. (David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News)
![]()
Image 7 of 19Smoke from the Hughes Fire seen from Santa Clarita, California, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg)
![Rapidly Growing Hughes Fire North Of Los Angeles]()
Image 8 of 19A plume of smoke from the new Hughes fire is seen above the hills from the Magic Mountain exit of Interstate 5 freeway in Valencia, California, on January 22, 2025. ( )
![Rapidly Growing Hughes Fire North Of Los Angeles]()
Image 9 of 19VALENCIA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 22: The Hughes Fire burns behind the skyline of Six Flags Magic Mountain on January 22, 2025 in Valencia, California. (Brandon Bell)
![Rapidly Growing Hughes Fire North Of Los Angeles]()
Image 10 of 19A plume of smoke from the new Hughes fire is seen behind the California State Route 14 highway from Santa Clarita, California, on January 22, 2025. (Robyn Beck / AFP)
![Rapidly Growing Hughes Fire North Of Los Angeles]()
Image 11 of 19A plume of smoke from the new Hughes fire is seen behind the California State Route 14 highway from Santa Clarita, California, on January 22, 2025. (Robyn Beck / AFP)
![Rapidly Growing Hughes Fire North Of Los Angeles]()
Image 12 of 19A plume of smoke from the new Hughes fire is seen behind the California State Route 14 highway from Santa Clarita, California, on January 22, 2025. (Robyn Beck / AFP)
![Rapidly Growing Hughes Fire North Of Los Angeles]()
Image 13 of 19CASTAIC, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 22: The Hughes Fire burns north of Los Angeles on January 22, 2025 near Castaic, California. (Robyn Beck / AFP)
![Rapidly Growing Hughes Fire North Of Los Angeles]()
Image 14 of 19CASTAIC, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 22: The Hughes Fire burns north of Los Angeles on January 22, 2025 near Castaic, California. (Mario Tama)
![Rapidly Growing Hughes Fire North Of Los Angeles]()
Image 15 of 19CASTAIC, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 22: The Hughes Fire burns north of Los Angeles on January 22, 2025 near Castaic, California. (Mario Tama)
![Rapidly Growing Hughes Fire North Of Los Angeles]()
Image 16 of 19CASTAIC, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 22: The Hughes Fire burns north of Los Angeles on January 22, 2025 near Castaic, California. (Mario Tama)
![Rapidly Growing Hughes Fire North Of Los Angeles]()
Image 17 of 19CASTAIC, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 22: The Hughes Fire burns north of Los Angeles on January 22, 2025 near Castaic, California. The wildfire is prompting mandatory evacuations just over two weeks after the Eaton and Palisades Fires caused massive destruction across Los Angeles County. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) (Mario Tama)
![Hughes Fire as seen from Whitaker Ridge.]()
Image 18 of 19Hughes Fire as seen from Whitaker Ridge. (@VCFD_PIO / X)
![Smoke from Hughes Fire.]()
Image 19 of 19Smoke from Hughes Fire. (@CaltransDist7 / X)
More than 50,000 residents across the region were placed on alert, with several schools being located within the evacuation zone surrounding the fire. Officials in Ventura County said some evacuation orders had been downgraded to evacuation warnings, while many other evacuation warnings had been lifted.
Officials said students at North Lake Elementary School were evacuated to the Castaic Sports Complex, while all students at Castaic Middle School and Castaic Elementary School were evacuated to a location within Hasley Canyon.
HOW THE LAY OF THE LAND AFFECTS WILDFIRE BEHAVIOR
This image shows the Hughes Fire burning near the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, California.
(LosAngelesCountySheriffsDepartment/Facebook / FOX Weather)
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it was ready to keep inmates safe at the Pitchess Detention Center as the Hughes Fire raged nearby. In a Facebook post, the sheriff's department said they had several vehicles on standby should they be needed for inmate evacuations.
"We are working closely with Los Angeles County Fire to ensure the employees, and incarcerated population on the property remain safe," officials said.
Sheriff's department officials told FOX Weather that as of Wednesday afternoon, 476 inmates had been transferred from the South Facility to the North County Correctional Facility, which sits on the same jail campus.
HOW TO BEST PREPARE YOUR HOMES FOR WILDFIRES
Several major roadways that connect the Bakersfield area to the Los Angeles metro were temporarily shut down, including the busy Interstate 5 through the "Grapevine."
On Thursday morning, the California Highway Patrol said that I-5 northbound and southbound were reopened as fire crews worked to keep the flames from threatening the freeway.
"Before traveling through Grapevine, check to ensure all lanes are still open," CHP warned. "Be informed, be prepared!"
MAKING SENSE OF WILDFIRE JARGON
Firefighters Attack Hughes Fire In Southern California
The Hughes Fire exploded to life Wednesday near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County. More than 9,000 acres were consumed but no structures were damaged during the initial hours.
Aerial video showed flames approaching I-5 near Castaic Lake, north of Santa Clarita, as winds pushed the blaze towards the south and west.
The area is well known for being home to Six Flags Magic Mountain, but the park appeared to be well outside the initial fire zone.
VALENCIA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 22: The Hughes Fire burns behind the skyline of Six Flags Magic Mountain on January 22, 2025 in Valencia, California.
(Brandon Bell / Getty Images)
In a Thursday update, fire officials said firefighters aggressively fought the flames and were challenged by extreme fire behavior, terrain and weather.
Crews, however, were able to keep the fire from spreading to Elderberry Canyon, Castaic Hydroelectric Power Plant and surrounding communities.
Their plan for Thursday was to continue focusing on establishing and holding containment lines to hold it within its current footprint.
More crews are expected to be staged within Castaic to prevent additional fire spread.
WHAT SHOULD BE IN YOUR EVACUATION 'GO' BAG DURING WILDFIRE SEASON
Rain on the way but comes with risks
The FOX Forecast Center said an upper-level disturbance will likely swing into the region from the Pacific Ocean this weekend, bringing the first widespread rain in months.
The rain and mountain snow will begin on Saturday and peak in coverage on Sunday before winding down on Monday. About a half-inch of rain may fall in the lower elevations, and multiple inches of snow is expected above 4,000 feet.
In the short term, the rain will benefit firefighters who are still battling wildfires in the Los Angeles area, but much more rain is needed.
The rain, while beneficial, does present risks.
This graphic shows rain and mountain snow on the way to California this weekend.
(FOX Weather)
Mudslides within burn-scar areas in Southern California are possible during the rain, and officials warned that charred hillsides are in danger of giving way even if there isn't rain. The burned landscape, littered with broken water mains, and the influx of water from firefighting efforts have destabilized hillsides in the region.
This image explains burn scars.
(FOX Weather)