The Palisades and Eaton wildfires continue burning in the Los Angeles area, leaving parts of Southern California with devastating fire damage.

Firefighters are responding to a brush fire in the Castaic area of Los Angeles County Wednesday morning, according to the Angeles National Forest.

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)

Firefighters responded to a brush fire Wednesday north of Los Angeles on a day of red flag warnings for parts of Southern California.

The approximately 10,176-acre Hughes Fire burning northeast of Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County has created smoke

Firefighters responded to a brush fire Wednesday north of Los Angeles on a day of red flag warnings for parts of Southern California.

Firefighters gained more ground Thursday on a fast-moving brushfire that erupted north of Los Angeles the day before and within hours exploded to thousands of acres amid high winds, officials said.

Powerful winds and bone-dry conditions could pose a challenge to firefighters battling new wildfires in southern California on Thursday, including a blaze that swelled over the past day and forced tens of thousands of evacuations north of Los Angeles.

Mark E. Potts is the senior editor for video at the Los Angeles Times. A native of Enid, Okla., Potts graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a master’s degree in broadcast journalism. He has created and edited video for DreamWorks, YouTube, Microsoft, Sony and BET.

The fire threat remains critical in Southern California, where thousands of residents were under evacuation orders Wednesday as fire crews battled the out-of-control Hughes Fire near Castaic, a suburb in the foothills and mountains of northern Los Angeles County.

Fire crews are battling a swiftly growing blaze dubbed the Hughes Fire burning near Interstate 5 in Castaic, in the northern part of Los Angeles County.