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Watch live: Hughes Fire erupts in Los Angeles County

Firefighters in Southern California are once again battling a wildfire, this time in Castaic in Los Angeles County, north of Los Angeles itself. 

Evacuation orders have been issued for the surrounding areas. 

Where is the Hughes fire?

What we know:

FOX 11 Los Angeles is reporting that the Hughes Fire broke out around 11 a.m. in the area of Lake Hughes Road near the 5 Freeway and Castaic Lake, according to Cal Fire. It grew from an estimated 500 acres as of 11:45 a.m. to 5,054 acres just over an hour later.

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SkyFOX's view of the Hughes Fire

RELATED: LIVE: Castaic fire: Hughes Fire erupts, quickly grows to over 500 acres

The Los Angeles County Fire Department and Angeles National Forest fire crews are battling the blaze, which is burning in an area filled with very dry brush, creating the potential for "a rapid rate of spread," officials said.

What we don't know:

Fire officials have not said what caused the fire. 

How big is the Hughes fire?

According to CalFire, the fire burned more than 9,400 acres and was 0% contained as of 5:00 p.m. local time.  No structures were damaged or destroyed.

According to officials, 4,000 fire personnel were assisting with the fire, and more than 54,000 people were under evacuation orders and warnings.

Fire approaches new homes being built near the Hughes fire in Santa Clarita, CA on Wednesday, January 22, 2025. (Photo by David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)

Los Angeles County remains under a red flag warning 

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said the Hughes Fire was being driven primarily by the weather. He said the "situation remains dynamic, and the fire remains a difficult fire to contain, although we are getting the upper hand." 

This is the latest wildfire burning in Los Angeles County as a red flag warning remains in effect due to Santa Ana winds.

Red flag warnings of high fire danger will be in place until 8 p.m. Thursday for a large part of Los Angeles County, including the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, the San Gabriel Mountains, the 5 and 14 Freeway corridors, the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys, the Malibu Coast, Calabasas and Agoura Hills.

"Winds will strengthen and expand once again Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning, then lower and shrink in coverage again Thursday night into Friday," according to the National Weather Service. "Meanwhile, extremely low humidities will persist with minimums under 10 percent over much of the area and poor overnight recoveries."

Forecasters said the red flag warning might be extended into Friday for some of the region's most wind-prone areas.

Rain could trigger mudslides in burned areas

What's next:

A 60% to 80% chance of a small amount of rain was forecast for Southern California starting Saturday, with most areas likely getting not more than a third of an inch (0.8 centimeters), according to Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist for the weather service’s office for Los Angeles. However, up to an inch (2 1/2 centimeters) could fall in localized thunderstorms, which would be a worst-case scenario if enough falls on scorched slopes.

RELATED: Los Angeles wildfire areas prepare for rain, potential mudslides this weekend

Fire crews were filling sandbags for communities while county workers were installing barriers and clearing drainage pipes and basins.

Crews still battling Palisades, Eaton fires in Los Angeles County

Big picture view:

Firefighters continue to battle the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have killed at least 28 people and destroyed more than 14,000 structures since they broke out Jan. 7. Containment of the Palisades Fire reached 68%, and the Eaton Fire was at 91%.

Officials remain concerned that the two major blazes, the Palisades and Eaton fires, could break their containment lines as firefighters continue to watch for hot spots, said David Acuna, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said Wednesday that his department was still investigating 22 active missing person reports in both fire zones. All of those reported missing are adults, he said.

RELATED: Doctor who lost home in LA fires healed by love of her patients

The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is investigating the causes of the fires but has not released any findings.

Several lawsuits have been filed by people who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire, alleging Southern California Edison's equipment sparked the blaze. On Tuesday a judge overseeing one of the lawsuits ordered the utility to produce data from circuits in the area where the fire started.

President Donald Trump, who criticized the response to the wildfires during his inaugural address Monday, has said he will travel to Los Angeles on Friday. Barger said Wednesday that details of Trump's visit were still being worked out.

The Source: The information in this story comes from multiple sources, including a report by FOX 11 Los Angeles citing Cal Fire, which provided details about the location, size, and timing of the Hughes Fire. Additional data, such as acreage burned and containment status, was sourced from WatchDuty. 

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