Crews are working to contain and extinguish the Hughes Fire in Southern California as residents were told to flee their homes. FOX News’ Ted Lindner has the latest.
LOS ANGELES – Firefighters in Southern California conducted another fierce wildfire fight on Wednesday and into Thursday morning. Crews raced to contain the massive Hughes Fire in Los Angeles County while another blaze broke out near a busy freeway, impacting travel in the region.
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.
Dramatic video provided by FOX 11 Los Angeles shows the Sepulveda Fire burning near the 405 Freeway 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.
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 were expected to remain on the scene through Wednesday night to monitor the area, and traffic on the 405 Freeway was likely to be impacted as crews worked alongside the freeway.
Hughes Fire triggers evacuation warnings
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.
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 on 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 on Wednesday, it was estimated that more than 30 acres were being consumed by flames every minute.
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This image shows the Sepulveda Fire burning near the 405 Freeway in Los Angeles County. (FOX 11 Los Angeles)
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A 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)
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Emergency 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)
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A 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)
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Castaic, 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)
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Smoke from the Hughes Fire seen from Santa Clarita, California, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg)
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A 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. ( )
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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)
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A 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)
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A 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)
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A 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)
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CASTAIC, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 22: The Hughes Fire burns north of Los Angeles on January 22, 2025 near Castaic, California. (Robyn Beck / AFP)
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CASTAIC, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 22: The Hughes Fire burns north of Los Angeles on January 22, 2025 near Castaic, California. (Mario Tama)
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CASTAIC, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 22: The Hughes Fire burns north of Los Angeles on January 22, 2025 near Castaic, California. (Mario Tama)
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CASTAIC, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 22: The Hughes Fire burns north of Los Angeles on January 22, 2025 near Castaic, California. (Mario Tama)
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CASTAIC, 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)
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Hughes Fire as seen from Whitaker Ridge. (@VCFD_PIO / X)
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Smoke 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 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.
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 Wednesday night, California Highway Patrol said Interstate 5 northbound had been reopened, but several closures would remain in place.
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 of the initial fire zone.