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, 6:55 PM EST

Hughes Fire now over 8,000 acres

The Hughes Fire has now burned 8,096 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties since igniting late Wednesday morning near Castaic Lake, according to Cal Fire.

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, on Jan. 22, 2025.
Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images

Jan 22, 2025, 6:26 PM EST

24k under evacuation order amid Hughes Fire

More than 24,00 people have been ordered to evacuate due to the Hughes Fire.

Another 30,000 people are in evacuation warning zones.

A plume of smoke is seen from the new Hughes fire in the Sylmar neighborhood of Los Angeles, on Jan. 22, 2025.
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Inmates at the Pitchess Detention Center, in Castaic south of the fire, are being moved out of the jail in a partial evacuation, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed to ABC News.

Jan 22, 2025, 5:31 PM EST

I-5 shutting down in fire area

Interstate 5 is closing indefinitely in the area of the Hughes Fire in Castaic, officials said.

The closures are at State Route 126 for northbound traffic and Grapevine Road for southbound traffic, California Highway Patrol said.

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

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