The blaze was reported just after 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22 in the area of Lake Hughes Road near the 5 Freeway, according to Cal Fire.

The Hughes fire seen from Magic Mountain has started north of Castaic and has exploded to more than 5,000 acres in under two hours on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, in Castaic, California. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS) (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

The Hughes Fire grew rapidly near Castaic Lake, about 45 miles northwest of the city of Los Angeles, after it broke out at around 10.53am PST on Wednesday. No homes or businesses have been damaged, but about 31,000 residents have been forced to flee, officials said, with thousands more under evacuation warnings.

The Hughes Fire in Castaic area has burned more than 9,400 acres in just hours. While Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone called it a "difficult fire," he said that crews are "getting the upper hand on containing the blaze."

Footage from a U.C. San Diego camera captured the moment the rapidly growing Hughes Fire erupted near Castaic Lake.

A fast-moving brush fire raced across thousands of acres of thick vegetation near Castaic Lake today, forcing mandatory evacuations in the lake area and into the heart of Castaic, with warnings stretching toward Santa Clarita and reaching the Ventura County line.

Photos taken of the Hughes Fire around Castaic Lake, California captured the massive blaze and cloud of smoke visible from Six Flags Magic Mountain.

The blaze was reported just after 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22 in the area of Lake Hughes Road near the 5 Freeway, according to Cal Fire.

The Hughes Fire was first reported shortly after 10:30 a.m. along Lake Hughes Road, near Castaic Lake and the 5 Freeway, according to Cal Fire.

Residents south and west of Lake Castaic scrambled to flee the path of the Hughes Fire, which had scorched over 5,000 acres in less than three hours on Wednesday. The blaze was first reported shortly before 11 a.

A new fast-moving wildfire has erupted in Los Angeles County, a region already reeling from blazes that have destroyed thousands of homes. The Hughes fire ignited about 45 miles northwest of the city of Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon, near Castaic Lake, prompting tens of thousands to evacuate.