“Hughes Fire” – New wildfire near LA intensifies, over 50,000 people evacuated.
A new wildfire, “Hughes Fire,” has broken out near Los Angeles, California, just after recent fires had subsided. The fire has spread over more than 20,000 acres, and over 50,000 people have been evacuated.
At 10:30 AM on January 22, 2025 (local time), the new fire began near Castaic Lake, located just 80 kilometers north of Los Angeles. Within just one hour, smoke from the fire had spread across the area, covering the sky.
Local authorities have evacuated over 31,000 residents in Los Angeles, with an additional 21,000 people under evacuation warnings. Southern California remains on high alert due to the ongoing fire risk, as there has been no significant rainfall for the past 9 months.
The U.S. National Weather Service has issued warnings about the Santa Ana winds, which could reach speeds of up to 104 kilometers per hour, potentially intensifying the “Hughes Fire.”
Over 4,000 firefighters have been deployed to combat the new wildfire, with an additional 1,100 firefighters sent to southern California to tackle the rapidly spreading fire.
The wildfires in California have caused destruction equivalent to that of Washington, D.C., with nearly 20,000 homes destroyed by the flames.
This new wildfire has compounded the already dire situation from earlier fires this month, resulting in at least 28 fatalities. U.S. President Donald Trump is set to visit the area today to assess the damage in southern California.
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