Fast-Moving Wildfire Engulfs 9,000 Acres, Sparking Evacuation Orders in Los Angeles, Ventura Counties

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for about 31,000 people, and 25,000 more were under evacuation warnings.

Firefighters station at the base of Lake Hughes road as the Hughes Fire burns in the distance in Castaic, Calif., on January 22, 2025. The wildfire is prompting mandatory evacuations just over two weeks after the Eaton and Palisades Fires caused widespread destruction across Los Angeles County. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES—A fast-moving brush fire raced across thousands of acres of thick vegetation near Castaic Lake Wednesday, forcing mandatory evacuations in the lake area and into the heart of Castaic, with warnings stretching toward Santa Clarita and reaching the Ventura County line.

Castaic is an unincorporated community of around 20,000 people located about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles.