California fires updates: Death toll in Los Angeles fires rises to 29

The additional fatality was attributed to the Palisades Fire, officials said.

Last Updated: January 27, 2025, 7:53 PM EST

At least 29 people have died as multiple wildfires, fueled by severe drought conditions and strong winds, rage across Southern California.

Thousands of firefighters have been battling wildfires across 45 square miles of densely populated Los Angeles County. The two largest fires, the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades and the Eaton Fire near Pasadena, remain active. One of the latest, the Hughes Fire in the Castaic area, has prompted evacuation orders for tens of thousands of people.

ABC News has kicked off "SoCal Strong" (#SoCalStrong), highlighting the impacted communities and offering fundraising opportunities for victims of the fires. The coverage will continue across multiple ABC News programs and platforms.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Jan 24, 2:20 pm

Tracking ongoing California wildfires

The Palisades Fire, which began in the Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, has destroyed or damaged more than 6,000 structures. It's covered more than 23,000 acres and is at 87% containment.

The Eaton Fire north of Pasadena also began on Jan. 7 and has destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 structures. It's burned over 14,000 acres and is at 95% containment.

Jan 22, 2025, 3:56 PM EST

Hughes Fire breaks out in LA County, explode to over 5,000 acres

A new Los Angeles County wildfire broke out on Wednesday near Castaic Lake, prompting evacuations of thousands of people as strong winds caused it to spread rapidly, officials said.

The Hughes Fire ignited around 11 a.m. Pacific time and grew to more than 5,000 acres in less than three hours, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

About 19,000 people in surrounding communities, including the city of Castaic, are under mandatory evacuation orders and another 16,000 residents are under evacuation warnings, officials said.

A cloud of smoke from the Hughes Fire rises as firefighters and aircraft battle it near Castaic Lake, north of Santa Clarita, Calif., as seen from a highway nearby, on Jan. 22, 2025.
David Swanson/Reuters

The blaze was burning near the southeast side of Lake Castaic off Interstate 5 in sparsely populated Bitter Canyon, about 45 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, according to Cal Fire.

In this screen grab from a video, the Hughes fire is shown near Santa Clarita, Calif., on Jan. 22, 2025.
KABC

Several I-5 offramps in the fire zone were closed, but the interstate remained open in both directions, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The fire was 0% contained and its cause was under investigation.

A large plume of smoke caused by the Hughes Fire rises from Castaic Lake as seen from a neighborhood of Santa Clarita, Calif.,on Jan. 22, 2025.
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

The fire erupted as gusty Santa Ana winds returned to the region, prompting the National Weather Service to issue red flag warnings.

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for recreation areas around Lake Castaic and the nearby Paradise Ranch Mobile Home Park

Jan 22, 2025, 9:51 AM EST

Brush fire breaks out in Tijuana, destroys 8 homes

Evacuations were ordered south of the border in Tijuana when a brush fire ignited and quickly spread, destroying eight homes, officials said.

According to the Tijuana Fire Department, a fire broke out in a canyon Tuesday in the Mexican border town 20 miles south of San Diego, requiring the evacuation of about 80 people.

“Due to weather conditions, the flames quickly spread to some nearby homes,” the Tijuana Fire Department said in a statement.

Fire officials praised fire crews that rapidly responded to the blaze, saying preventing injuries.

The fire came amid strong Santa Ana winds buffeting a large area of the southwest, prompting "particularly dangerous situation" fire alerts from Ventura County north of Los Angeles to south of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Red Flag fire warnings issued for Southern California are expected to remain in place through Friday.

-ABC News' Tristan Maglunog and Anne Laurent

Jan 21, 2025, 8:22 PM EST

Los Angeles County fires death toll rises to 28

There have been at least 28 confirmed fatalities linked to the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County, according to the Department of Medical Examiner.

The Eaton Fire, which spread over 14,000 acres through the Altadena neighborhood, killed at least 17 individuals while the Palisades Fire, which burned over 23,000 acres from the mountains to the coast, killed 11 others, according to the agency.

Jan 21, 2025, 5:52 AM EST

Evacuation order issued near San Diego's Lilac Fire

An evacuation order was issued early Tuesday for the area near Old Highway 395 and W. Lilac Road in Bonsall, a community in an unincorporated area in northern San Diego, officials said.

"An evacuation order has been issued for people who live in the red shaded areas as shown on the maps below," the San Diego Sheriff's office said. "It means there is an immediate threat and you need to leave right now."

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