California Fires Updates: Wednesday, Jan. 22
UPDATES ON THE HUGHES FIRE CAN BE FOUND BY TAPPING OR CLICKING HERE.
LOS ANGELES — As crews continue to battle fires across Southern California, residents in the region will also need to brace for the possibility of wet weather, which may trigger mudslides this weekend.
With rain now in the picture, Southern California's fire zones are now in danger of possible land movement and mud and debris flow – prompting Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Gov. Gavin Newsom to issue executive orders to expedite efforts to clear out wildfire debris ahead of the upcoming weekend.
Officials said residents across the region must continue to be on high alert over possible wildfires as parts of LA County remain under red flag warnings through Thursday evening.
OFFICIAL FIRE AND EVACUATION MAPS FROM GENASYS PROTECT:
Crews making progress on 405 Freeway fire
11:59 p.m.: Firefighters have dramatically slowed the spread of the fire in the Sepulveda Pass by pulling off water drops.
New fire breaks out along 405 Freeway
11:20 p.m.: A fire breaks out along the northbound lanes of the 405 Freeway in the Sepulveda Pass. About one acre has been burned, Los Angeles Fire Department says.

Evacuation zones shrink
11:15 p.m.: The following zones previously under mandatory evacuation orders from the Hughes Fire have downgraded to evacuation warnings: CAS-GOLDENSTATE, CAS-ROMERO, CAS-SLOAN, CAS-GREENHILL, CAS-HASLEY, CAS-CAMBRIDGE & CAS-HILLCREST
Hughes Fire breaks 10,000 acres
10:25 p.m.: The Hughes Fire has burned 10,176 acres, but 14% of the blaze has been contained.
Eaton Fire containment grows
6:15 p.m.: The Eaton Fire is now 95% contained, according to Cal Fire.
5 Freeway closed
2:25 p.m.: The closure of the 5 Freeway has expanded. The southbound lanes are being closed at Grapevine Road.
More Hughes Fire evacuations
2:20 p.m.: Evacuation orders have been expanded to the Reys Adobe, Francisquito, Tessoro Del Valle, Bitter Cyn, Sterling Lane, Sterling Biscaulz and Charlie Canyon areas.
According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, approximately 35,000 people are under evacuation orders and warnings because of the Huhges Fire.
Hughes Fire evacuations expand to Ventura County
2 p.m.: Evacuation orders related to the Hughes Fire have spread west into Ventura County. A map of the affected areas in Ventura County can be found here.
Caltrans has also closed all lanes of the northbound 5 Freeway north of State Route 126. The detour is State Route 126, and the alternate is State Route 14.
Hughes Fire animal shelters opened
1:30 p.m.: Two animal shelters in the area have been opened to house animals evacuated due to the Hughes Fire. A large and small animal shelter is open at Lancaster Animal Care Center at 5210 W Ave I, in Lancaster. A small animal shelter is open at the Palmdale Animal Care Center at 38550 Sierra Hwy in Palmdale.
Both College of the Canyons campuses have been closed because of the fire. More details can be found from the university here.
Hughes Fire explodes in Castaic
1 p.m.: The Hughes Fire in Castaic has exploded in just a few hours, and has spread to more than 5,000 acres.
Castaic Middle School and Castaic Elementary School have been evacuated. All students have been evacuated to the Ralphs parking lot at Hasley Canyon. North Lake Elementary students were evacuated to the Castaic Sports Complex.
North Lake Elementary students were evacuated to Castaic Sports Complex.
More Palisades Fire evac zones reopened
12 p.m.: Several more areas under evacuation orders due to the Palisades Fire have been reopened for residents only. Any residents looking to return to their homes must meet LA County Fire officials at the Malibu Pier to be escorted. Escorts to the newly repopulated areas will only happen between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. All other previously reopened areas will have escorts between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Road closures related to the Palisades Fire are found here.
New fire sparks in Casatic
11:00 a.m.: The Hughes Fire sparked late Wednesday morning in the Castaic neighborhood of Santa Clarita. The fire quickly jumped from 40 acres to 500 within an hour.
Multiple evacuation warnings and orders have been issued for the surrounding areas.
Click here for latest evaluations.
Free donations in Santa Monica
10:15 a.m.: Santa Monica College (SMC) Foundation is holding a three-day Fire Disaster Support Distribution event to provide essential aid to students, employees and community members including the children, staff and families in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, who were impacted by the recent wildfires.
Donation distribution in Santa Monica for wildfire victims
Santa Monica College (SMC) Foundation will host a three-day Fire Disaster Support Distribution event to provide essential aid to students, employees and community members including the children, staff and families in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, who were impacted by the recent catastrophic fires in Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Malibu, Brentwood, and Greater Los Angeles County.
Donations including food, new and gently used clothing, hygiene products, baby supplies, blankets, and other necessities will be available for free. Each attendee will receive a complimentary IKEA blue bag (while supplies last) to "shop".
The donation drive is open on the following dates and times at Corsair Gym/Pavilion at Santa Monica College, 1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica:
- Wednesday, Jan. 22, 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
- Thursday, Jan. 23, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
- Friday, Jan. 24, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.WHERE:
The SMC Foundation has also established the Santa Monica Community College Disaster Support Fund to raise at least $250,000 to help SMC students and employees impacted by the fires with emergency funding for items like housing, food, water, clothing, transportation, medical supplies, school materials, and other basic needs.
Newsom deploys specialized ‘debris flow teams’ to LA
10:00 a.m.: With anticipated rain in the forecast, Gov. Newsom announced he is mobilizing the full force of the state government to protect recent burn scar areas and prepare for mudslides.
"Through proactive coordination across various departments and agencies, highly trained teams and specialized equipment are prepositioning to help protect the communities and natural resources impacted by the recent firestorms in Los Angeles from possible debris flows," Newsom's office said in a statement.
Morning press conference
9:45 a.m.:
Major road closures continue
9:13 a.m.: Several major freeways/highways remain closed as firefighters continue to battle the Palisades and Eaton fires and crews assist with debris removal and cleanup as rain is expected this weekend.
Pacific Coast Highway
- SB PCH closed at Sweetwater Canyon Drive
- NB PCH closed at McClure Tunnel
I-10
- WB I-10 closed at Lincoln Blvd.
- WB I-10 4th and 5th St. on-ramps closed
Topanga Canyon Blvd.
- Closed in both directions between PCH and Grand View Dr.
- Closed - except for residents with ID - south of Mulholland Dr. to Grand View Dr.
Westminster School District assistance
8:53 a.m.: The Westminster School District announced on Wednesday it is helping serve displaced families affected by the LA fires by offering immediate in-person school transfers, whether short term or long term.
Families seeking assistance may contact Westminster School District for immediate enrollment and support by contacting Brittany Patterson: tel. (714) 894-7311 ext. 1072.
‘Don’t give bitcoin,' DA Hochman warns
8:30 a.m.: LA County DA Nathan Hochman is again warning residents to be vigilant of scams and price gouging.
"If you want to give money or services, we suggest that you check out the organization that is giving, that is asking you for this. If they in any way pressure you to give money, that is a red flag that it is most likely a fake organization. And please don't give bitcoin or any type of cryptocurrency. They're counting on that because you'll never see that cryptocurrency back. Legitimate organizations can be checked out again on the IRS website if they are nonprofits, or the state attorney general's website," he said.
Death toll unchanged
8:20 a.m.: The death toll stands at 23 total - 17 for the Eaton Fire and 6 for the Palisades Fire, Sheriff Luna said.
Additionally, there are 22 active missing person cases - 17 in the Eaton Fire and 5 in the Palisades Fire, he added.
LASD scales back presence, curfew still in effect
8:11 a.m.: LASD has decreased its presence in the Eaton Fire area, according to LASD Sheriff Robert Luna. This will be monitored, and authorities will increase the presence if necessary.
Approximately 785 National Guard personnel continue to assist the LASD and LAPD.
A curfew order remains in place for those in mandatory evacuation zones in both the Palisades and Eaton fires. The curfew is from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice.
Sheriff Luna also announced 5 additional arrests - 3 in the Palisades Fire zone and 2 in the Eaton area. He said he expects the number of arrests to go down as containment efforts continue.
Air quality remains affected
8:08 a.m.: A Windblown Dust and Ash Advisory remains in effect.
Residents are advised to stay indoors if possible and wear the appropriate PPE when outdoors, which includes N95 masks, glasses, and goggles if you need to go outside.
Rain preps underway, new relief website launches
8:01 a.m.: Officials said they are gearing up for the upcoming chance of rain this weekend by expediting debris removal in burn areas impacted by the fires. Additionally, k-rails and sandbags are being put in place in those impacted areas.
LA County has launched a one-stop funding relief portal to hep residents and businesses impacted by the fires. For more information, visit lacounty.gov/relief.

Pasadena schools reopening
7:50 a.m. PT: All Pasadena students will return to schools on Jan. 30, according to the school district. The reopening of schools is occurring in three phases.
"We previously announced the first phase, which encompasses schools farthest away from the fire. All other schools will open between January 27 and 30. This is a fluid situation that depends upon cleaning, sanitizing and environmental testing," the district said in a statement.
Below is the PUSD reopening plan for the relocation of impacted sites:
Early Childhood Education at Cleveland
Relocates to: Webster Elementary and Jefferson site
Eliot Arts Magnet Middle School
Relocates to: McKinley School
Altadena Arts Magnet
Relocates to: Allendale site
Aveson School of Leaders (charter)
Relocates to: TBA by charter leadership
Rosebud Academy (charter)
Relocates to: TBA by charter leadership
Odyssey (charter)
Relocates to: TBA by charter leadership
Don Benito Fundamental and the Cleveland site are being prepared to welcome additional community members to their campuses.
Crews continue seeing progress with the Palisades Fire
- 6:23 a.m. Cal Fire said the Palisades Fire was 68% contained with 23,448 acres burned.
Eaton Fire approaches full containment
- 6 a.m.: As of Wednesday morning, the Eaton Fire had burned 14,021 acres and was 91% contained.
Preparing for a storm
- 5:15 a.m.: Roberta Gonzales with FOX 11's sister station, KTVU, reported from the Eaton Fire zone and showed how crews are using sandbags and other preventative measures aiming to prevent land movement with the incoming storm.
Big weather changes ahead
- 5 a.m.: FOX 11 Meteorologist Soumada Khan said conditions will shift from dry, warm and windy to cold, wet and chilly by the weekend.
The Eaton Fire
The Eaton Fire was first reported on Tuesday, Jan. 7 near Altadena and Midwick drives.
Some residents did not survive the flames and at least 7,000 structures were destroyed.
Authorities have implemented a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. for all areas that remain under mandatory evacuation orders in the Altadena area. This comes after more than 30 looting arrests were made by the LA County Sheriff's Department.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but they were fueled by extreme drought conditions, combined with the supersized Santa Ana winds that whipped flames and embers at 100 mph – much faster than usual.
A lawsuit filed Monday claims Southern California Edison equipment sparked the Eaton Fire.
The lawsuit alleges that Southern California Edison failed to comply with essential electrical and fire safety standards, including failing to maintain power lines and overgrown vegetation.
The Palisades Fire
The Palisades Fire broke out on the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 7 as parts of Southern California were hit by powerful Santa Ana winds – the strongest to hit the area in over a decade, officials said. The piercing winds not only intensified the spread of the fire, it also prevented helicopters and planes from dumping water or fire retardant onto the burning scene as it was too dangerous to fly during the first day of the massive fire.
The fire extended well over 23,000 acres in seven days, destroying homes and businesses across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu. The fire also forced evacuations across parts of LA County, including Bel-Air, Brentwood and Santa Monica.
The fire also destroyed the Pacific Palisades Charter High School and other schools in the fire's path.
What caused the Palisades Fire?
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
According to a report from the Los Angeles Times, a popular hiking destination, Skull Rock – an area north of Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades – is at the center of an investigation "as a possible starting point for the Palisades fire."
Meanwhile, local authorities have announced multiple rounds of arrests taking place from the Palisades Fire scenes, but none of which are explicitly related to the cause of the fire. Over the weekend, there was an announcement of a man arrested for impersonating a firefighter. The alleged "fake firefighter" was accused of trying to break into one of the evacuated homes.
Other people have also been accused of arson across Southern California.