Firefighters in Southern California are once again battling a wildfire, this time in Castaic in Los Angeles County, north of Los Angeles itself. Evacuation orders have been issued for the surrounding areas.

The Hughes Fire is burning near Castaic Lake in the community of Castaic, just over six miles north of Six Flags Magic Mountain. It's a popular recreation area about 40 miles from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that are burning for a third week.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in an update Thursday that 18 people remain missing after the Southern California wildfires. Overall, authorities received a total of 43 missing persons reports related to the Eaton and Palisades fires. Of those, 12 were located safe.

A new wildfire was reported today at 3:48 p.m. in Los Angeles County. The wildfire has been burning on private land. At this time, there is no information on the containment of the fire and the cause of it is still undetermined.

The Jan. 25 death is the 12th fatality connected to the Palisades Fire, while another 17 are attributed to the Eaton Fire, officials said

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.