The Hughes Fire has destroyed more than 10,000 hectares of land in hours, with an interactive map revealing the enormity of the latest inferno threatening homes and livelihoods in Los Angeles.
Large swathes of land have been burning for days, live trackers show, with firefighters still struggling to control the blazes that first broke out on January 7 as new blazes emerge.
The fires, which were largely contained, flared up again on Wednesday when a massive and fast-moving forest fire ignited 72 kilometers northwest of the city near Castaic Lake, in an area close to several residential areas and schools.
The renewed devastation comes as President Trump threatened yesterday to withhold federal disaster aid for wildfire-ravaged LA unless California leaders change how they manage the state’s scarce water supplies.
In a Fox News interview, Trump repeated false claims that the state’s fish conservation efforts in the northern part of the state are responsible for drying up fire hydrants in urban areas.
He said the blame for LA’s struggle to tame some of the deadly fires falls on Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has called for partnership and mutual respect as the state battles the blazes.
“I don’t think we should give California anything until they get the water flowing,” the president said.
Trump, along with House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans, has faced criticism from both Democrats and Republicans for suggesting aid should come with conditions as the fires continue to spread keep spreading the hand.
Republican Rep. Young Kim, whose district is in fire-prone Orange County, said in a statement: “Playing politics with people’s livelihoods is unacceptable and a slap in the face to the victims of Southern California’s wildfires and to our courageous first responders.”
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When speaking about disaster relief, Trump suggested that he would be open to killing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), claiming that it “gets in the way of everything.”
“All it does is complicate everything,” he complained. “FEMA has not done its job for the last four years.”
“I would rather see the states solve their own problems,” he added. He did not elaborate on his proposed reforms, saying only that there will be “a very big discussion about the agency very soon.”
Trump made the threats as he prepared for the first presidential trip of his second term.
On Friday he will visit Southern California and North Carolina, which is recovering after Hurricane Helene ravaged the area more than three months ago.
Trump said this week that talks are underway at the White House to get more water to LA, citing rainfall runoff and the state’s massive water storage system.
‘Los Angeles has enormous amounts of water. “All they have to do is turn on the tap,” he said.
He also spoke about the fire disaster during his inaugural address on Monday, saying ‘we are still seeing the fires from weeks ago tragically burning without even a sign of defence. That’s going to change.’
Locals and experts have criticized claims by both Trump and others that water was wasted due to conservation efforts and through poor water management plans.
Firefighters work as the Hughes Fire burns in Castaic, California on January 22, 2025
Fire hydrants have gone dry in some locations, officials said, because the city’s infrastructure was not designed to respond to a fire as large as the one that broke out in the Palisades and elsewhere.
So far, more than 14,000 structures have been destroyed across LA County and at least 28 people have been killed.
The recovery efforts could be among the most expensive in American history.
About 31,000 residents are under mandatory evacuation orders, while another 23,000 are on high alert with warnings that they should consider fleeing their homes.

Footage from the scene shows swirling fire tornadoes at the edges of roads and entire hills covered in fiery red flames

The fast-growing Hughes Fire has scorched nearly 9,300 acres of land in a span of hours, as Los Angeles residents report seeing fire tornadoes
Images from the edge of the fire show swirling tornadoes of fire beginning to take shape as entire hillsides are covered in fiery red flames.
Huge clouds of smoke billow over entire neighborhoods as helicopters dump gallons of water from the sky in an attempt to contain the fire.
The California National Guard announced last night that every Modular Aerial Firefighting System (MAFFS) aircraft in the US – a total of eight – had been launched to combat the fast-growing inferno.
As the latest inferno spreads, Governor Newsom assured Californians that state resources have been mobilized to bring the situation under control.
“State resources have been deployed to the Hughes Fire in the Angeles National Forest to assist with the federal response,” he said on X.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide the federal government with everything it needs to extinguish this fire.”
Cal Fire Director Joe Tyler said, “This fire responded strongly today and as you can see behind us, responders are doing a great job getting this fire under control. Certainly, we’re not out of the woods yet.’
No lives were lost and no buildings were damaged in the Hughes fire, which is being battled by about 4,000 exhausted firefighters, officials said.