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The Hughes fire has grown rapidly in northern Los Angeles County, with the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires still burning in the region.
- Jan. 22, 2025, 9:47 p.m. ET
As the Hughes fire exploded in size on Wednesday, people living around Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County weighed the question of whether to stay or go.
The danger felt all the more real because of the deadly Eaton and Palisades fires that have been ravaging other parts of the county.
Greg Wolf, 64, was hunkered down with his family inside his house in Castaic despite a mandatory evacuation order. Ash was raining down and there were plumes of smoke in the sky, but he said they were staying put because the winds had appeared to die down and the fire appeared to be south of them.
Mr. Wolf said he is normally unbothered by warnings about fires. But this time, he was nervous.
“What happened in Altadena and the power of the wind in the Palisades — I’ve never seen anything like that in California,” he said.
Fueled by fierce winds, the Eaton and Palisades fires grew rapidly and caused widespread devastation in Altadena and Pasadena to the northeast of Los Angeles, and in Pacific Palisades and Malibu to the west. The two rank among the most destructive blazes in California’s history.
The Hughes fire seemed to be growing at a similarly shocking rate, burning more than 8,000 acres by 4 p.m., barely four hours after it started.
