Topline:
Firefighters continue to make progress in containing the massive Hughes Fire that broke out Wednesday near Castaic Lake, growing to more than 10,396 acres and forcing mass evacuations.
What we know so far: The Hughes Fire broke out Wednesday off Lake Hughes Road near Castaic Lake. It was 56% contained by Friday.
Keep reading... for more on evacuations and weather conditions.
This is a developing story and will be updated. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:
Firefighters continue to make progress in containing the massive Hughes Fire that broke out Wednesday near Castaic Lake, growing to more than 10,000 acres and forcing mass evacuations.
Around 38,000 people remain under evacuation warnings even as containment has reached 56%.
The Federal Aviation Administration has also issued a Temporary Flight Restriction in the airspace above the fire, meaning people cannot fly drones in the area.
The fire started shortly before 11 a.m. on Lake Hughes Road near Castaic Lake and burned through hundreds of acres within minutes. In the first three hours of the fire, 5,000 acres burned.
3 hour time-lapse of the #HughesFire that has grown from 500 to over 5,000 acres.pic.twitter.com/C63X5ICYmD
— Hexdline (@HexdlineNews) January 22, 2025
— L.A. County Fire Department (@LACoFDPIO) January 22, 2025
The National Weather Service extended a red flag warning in the area until 10 a.m. Friday — with a high wind advisory in place until 2 p.m. Thursday.
The smoke from the fire prompted alerts about poor air quality in Ventura County for Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Oxnard, Piru, Santa Paula, Simi Valley and Ventura. Parts of L.A., Riverside and San Bernardino counties also are under smoke and windblown dust and ash advisories.
Evacuation warnings have been issued for several areas in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
Caltrans reopened both sides of the 5 Freeway Wednesday evening after closing lanes between Grapevine Road and State Route 126.
Area school districts will reopen most schools Friday after closing Wednesday and Thursday.
“After conferring with the fire department battalion chief and reviewing the latest air quality reports… we are happy to report that it is safe for our students and staff to return to school tomorrow morning,” the Castaic Union School District wrote in a statement.
Superintendent Bob Brauneisen previously said in a statement to families and staff that poor air quality and the need to assess facility safety extended the closures, which affected about 2,000 students.
William S. Hart Union High School District said in a statement that it will reopen all campuses except for Academy of the Canyons, which is on the campus of College of the Canyons and currently serving as a command center. The closures earlier in the week affected about 5,000 students.
The Saugus Union School District told LAist in an email that all campuses will be open. The district previously closed its offices and three schools in mandatory evacuation and evacuation warning zones, affecting nearly 2,500 students.
Los Angeles Unified schools in the San Fernando Valley limited outdoor activities such as recess, sports and lunch Thursday. Schools “particularly impacted by air quality” may release students early, the district wrote in a statement.
Los Angeles County Sheriff's officials moved 476 people from the Pitchess Detention Center, located in the evacuation zone.
Einer Rivera, a spokesperson for the department, said those jailed were taken to North County Correctional Facility.
That facility is also within the evacuation zones. Sheriff Robert Luna said the department is prepared to pivot to Plan B if needed.
"The Plan B that they would be being transported to other facilities around the county and they would be transported by any means possible," he said. "We do have buses that are on the way up there."
Check out LAist's wildfire recovery guide
If you have to evacuate:
Navigating fire conditions:
How to help yourself and others:
How to start the recovery process:
What to do for your kids:
Prepare for the next disaster:
Topline:
Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight on Monday launched a new tracking system to document possible misconduct and abuse during federal immigration enforcement operations under the Trump administration, according to Rep. Robert Garcia of Long Beach, who is the ranking member of the committee.
The details: As of Monday, the the new dashboard listed 252 incidents dating back to Jan. 26. Only incidents verified by reputable media outlets or referenced in litigation are included, according to the committee website. Social media videos without corroboration are not included. Each incident is categorized as either under one or more of the following types of possible misconduct: "concerning use of force," "concerning arrest/detention," "concerning deportation," and an "enforcement action at a sensitive location.” Incidents involving U.S. citizens are categorized with a "U.S. Citizen" tag.
The backstory: Immigrant rights organizations and many Democratic leaders have long expressed concerns about the practices of federal immigration authorities carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan. “Our Dashboard shines a light on the harmful actions perpetrated against U.S. citizens and immigrants across the country,” Garcia said in a statement.
In-custody deaths: More than 40 members of the U.S. House, including 15 representatives from California, are also demanding answers from federal authorities about the record number of people who died in immigration detention this year. Fifteen people have died so far this year, including two at the Adelanto immigration detention center.
Topline:
A study from UCLA found that in drier years, larger animals are more likely to head closer and closer to where people live.
What’s driving this: It depends on the animal, but food and water are the main factors. Less rain means less standing water and less vegetation for herbivores. As these animals look for food and water in more populated areas, omnivores and carnivores also follow them.
What animals are affected: Among many others, deer, elk, squirrels, mountain lions, bobcats, and black bears are all inclined to leave their natural habitats to seek out supplemental food sources in yards and agricultural areas.
Read on... for more on what the data tells about our wild visitors and what are climate has to do with them.
If you’ve noticed more wildlife visiting your yard in recent years — maybe digging up your vegetable garden or even drinking from your pool — you’re not alone.
A recent study from UCLA found that larger predators like mountain lions and bears are more likely to interact with humans and travel closer to population centers in drier years. To determine this, the researchers analyzed state data collected on reported property damage, nuisances, conflicts and sightings.
“It kind of runs the full gamut of how people interact with wildlife around their neighborhoods and their homes,” said UCLA postdoctoral researcher Kendall Calhoun, the lead author on the study.
As you might expect, different animals might have different reasons for entering populated areas. But in large part, Calhoun said, it comes down to animals’ survival instincts.
The primary motivator for many herbivores is likely to be food. That’s because with less precipitation, there’s also less plant material for them to eat. (Don’t forget: even with all the rain we’ve had recently, much of Southern California is still in a drought.)
“ Deer and elk might be pushed to find those food resources in places that they normally wouldn't go, like agriculture, crops, things from people's yards, persimmons from your tree,” Calhoun said.
And as herbivores get pushed toward humans, the animals that prey on them are too. In fact, the species that saw the highest increases in clashes with humans were omnivores and carnivores, specifically mountain lions, coyotes, black bears and bobcats.
But even these animals have varying reasons for getting close to people.
“Mountain lions might be more inclined to look for supplemental food in livestock — that might be a sheep or a goat,” Calhoun said. “Black bears may be more willing to go into your trash to look for food to help supplement what they're missing in their resource-scarce natural areas.”
Meanwhile, animals of all kinds might enter a yard even when they have enough food to look for standing water.
Researchers analyzed data from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife that were reported over the last several years as part of a citizen science initiative.
One important caveat is that the researchers primarily looked at conflicts between wildlife and residents, and there may be differences in how these interactions are reported.
For example, you might not report a deer eating fruit from an overloaded tree as a nuisance, but even a peaceful black bear digging through your trash could raise alarm bells.
"People also really value having wildlife living alongside them," Calhoun said. "It really is important for us to try to strike that balance where there's pros for both sides, without some of the negative interactions that come with living in close proximity with wildlife species."
There’s more background on the research on UCLA’s website, and you can find the full study here.
You can also learn much more about interactions between humans and wildlife in LAist’s Imperfect Paradise podcast series, “Lions, Coyotes, & Bears.”
Topline:
Fast, affordable internet service in parts of L.A. County is expected to become available soon and organizers say now is a good time to sign up for alerts when the program goes live.
How much will the service cost? There will be different plans available — low income, market rate and small business — at different internet speeds and fixed price rates. The low-cost service plan will start at $25 per month for qualifying families. Those who don’t qualify could also purchase plans starting at $65 a month.
How will it work? The internet provider, WeLink, will install a Wi-Fi router inside a home and a 4-inch radio on the roof that will then connect to the internet network.
Why it matters: About 23% of households in East L.A. and Boyle Heights, and more than 40,000 households in South L.A., don’t have home internet.
Read on … for how to stay in the loop when the service rolls out.
Low-cost internet service will soon roll out in parts of L.A. County at the end of this year, and organizers say eligible households can sign up for alerts when the service becomes available.
The service — a partnership between L.A. County and internet provider WeLink — is the latest project from the county’s “Delete the Divide,” an initiative meant to bridge the digital divide in underserved neighborhoods.
Major funding for the project comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, as well as a grant from the California Public Utilities Commission.
About 23%, or more than 20,000, households in the East L.A. and Boyle Heights area don’t have home internet, according to Delete the Divide.
The service will also soon be coming to South L.A., where more than 40,000 households were identified as lacking home internet.
There will be different plans available — including low-income, market-rate and small business options — at fixed prices. The low-cost plan will start at $25 per month for qualifying families. Those who don’t qualify could also purchase plans starting at $65 a month. Monthly rates are fixed until at least September 2027.
Every plan includes unlimited data, a router and parental controls.
WeLink will install a Wi-Fi router inside a home and a 4-inch radio on the roof to connect the household to the internet.
Interested households can sign up for updates and be notified by WeLink when service is available here.
Topline:
A program that offers CalFresh recipients an extra $60 a month to spend on fresh produce at participating stores and farmers markets is restarting thanks to renewed state funding.
The backstory: The CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Project was most recently funded at $10 million, but that was only enough to run the program for about three months.
How it works: When CalFresh recipients spend money on fresh fruits and vegetables at participating locations, their EBT cards are immediately rebated the amount they spend, up to $60 a month.
Funding boost: Thanks to a boost of $36 million in state funding, program organizers are hopeful it will last about 10 months. The renewed funding comes after food banks and meal programs in Los Angeles were forced to scramble to serve a rush of people looking for help during the longest government shutdown in American history.
The quote: The continuation of the program was a priority for State Sen. Laura Richardson, who represents cities including Carson and Compton. “You know, people are hurting," Richardson told LAist. "The number one thing that we hear that people are concerned about is affordability."
Find participating locations: There are about 90 participating retailers and farmers markets. You can find a list here.
