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.

Hughes Fire initially started 10:53 a.m. Jan. 22 in Los Angeles County. It has burned 10,425 acres after being active for a week. By Wednesday morning, the fire crew succeeded in containing 98% of the wildfire.

The number of deaths from the wildfires that destroyed entire communities in the Los Angeles area in January 2025 has risen to 29, the county medical examiner’s office said.