As the sun began to set over Castaic Lake on Wednesday, the hills to the north and east were engulfed in flames, casting an eerie orange glow across the valley below.

The blaze was reported just after 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22 in the area of Lake Hughes Road near the 5 Freeway, according to Cal Fire.

Firefighters battled two new brush fires - the Hughes Fire near Castaic Lake and the Sepulveda Fire in Bel Air, along the 405 Freeway.

The Hughes Fire near Castaic, California, has burned over 5,000 acres, prompting evacuations and school closures.

The Hughes fire seen from Magic Mountain has started north of Castaic and has exploded to more than 5,000 acres in under two hours on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, in Castaic, California. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS) (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

A large brush fire that erupted near Interstate 5 in Castaic has burned more than 9,000 acres, causing several evacuation orders and warnings Wednesday morning.

The Hughes Fire was first reported shortly after 10:30 a.m. along Lake Hughes Road, near Castaic Lake and the 5 Freeway, according to Cal Fire.

A fast-moving brush fire erupted in Los Angeles County on Wednesday morning, quickly racing across 1,000 acres of terrain, aided by heavy, dry fuels and pushed by gusting Santa Ana winds.

A brush fire ignited near Castaic Lake amid windy and dry conditions Wednesday afternoon, forcing evacuations in the area as the blaze quickly grows.

The Hughes Fire in Castaic area has burned more than 9,400 acres in just hours. While Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone called it a "difficult fire," he said that crews are "getting the upper hand on containing the blaze."

President Biden in 2022 announced Admiral Linda Fagan as the new commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard making her the first woman to lead a branch of the U.S. military. President Trump's administration has now fired Fagan. Hughes Fire in burning near Castaic Lake | Helicopter video from KABC.