A new inferno in a matter of minutes
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Good morning. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
- The Hughes fire is a painful reminder that Southern California is not yet out of the woods.
- California’s attorney general charges an L.A.-area real estate agent with price gouging in the wake of wildfires.
- 28 newcomers to the 101 Best Restaurants in L.A. list to visit ASAP.
- And here’s today’s e-newspaper.
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The fast-spreading Hughes fire emerges as the latest threat to Southern California
Crews this morning are battling the Hughes fire, which began as a brush fire north of Castaic on Wednesday and quickly exploded into an inferno, forcing residents to flee as winds pushed the blaze south.
The fire serves as a painful reminder that Southern California remains under the threat of wildfires even as crews make significant progress in containing the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires, which have decimated communities and claimed more than two dozen lives.
Much like the Palisades and Eaton fires, wind gusts have amplified the destructive power of the Hughes fire. Now, officials must plan to make the most out of the rain forecasted for later this week.
Here’s where things stand with the Hughes fire as of this morning
- The blaze has burned more than 10,000 acres.
- Containment stands at 14%.
- No casualties have been reported.
- It’s unclear what sparked the fire.
- A red flag warning was extended to Friday morning for most of Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.
Wind gusts of up to 31 mph were recorded when the Hughes fire erupted
The Hughes fire started off of Lake Hughes Road just before 11 a.m. and burned more than 5,000 acres in less than two hours, my colleagues Rong-Gong Lin II and Hannah Fry report.
These gusts were not as severe as the 100 mph gusts recorded on Jan. 7, when the Palisades and Eaton fires broke out. But they were still powerful enough to bring catastrophic fire conditions, fanning flames and carrying embers to dry vegetation.
These gusts, known as Santa Ana winds, have several notable distinctions: They’re dry, hot and flow from northeast to southwest out of the Mojave Desert. Santa Ana winds can pick up in the fall and winter and sometimes last until the spring.
Rain is expected late Friday through early Saturday
Thankfully a reprieve may be on the horizon with a small amount of rain predicted for later this week.
In anticipation, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an emergency executive order to shore up Los Angeles burn areas and protect watersheds, my colleague Julia Wick reports.
The order directs city crews to eliminate vegetation, reinforce hillsides and roads and clear debris from neighborhoods and burn areas.
The city also will use reinforced concrete barriers and sandbags to prevent toxins from burned areas from flowing into beaches and the ocean.
For more updates on wildfires affecting Southern California, visit The Times’ live blog.
Today’s top stories
Trump’s executive orders rattle California’s immigrant community
- President Trump’s executive order claims that birthright citizenship, enshrined in the Constitution, does not apply to the children of immigrants in the United States temporarily or without authorization.
- As a result, those in California’s most immigrant-reliant industries — manufacturing, agriculture, hospitality, construction — are limiting their trips or staying home.
- The Border Patrol operation near Bakersfield lasted for several days and netted 78 arrests this week, raising alarm bells across the Central Valley, where a largely immigrant workforce helps harvest a quarter of the food grown in the U.S.
- California is helping to lead a coalition of states suing to block the order as unconstitutional.
Price-gouging rules are in full effect in Los Angeles County
- A real estate agent in La Cañada Flintridge is facing criminal charges for allegedly raising the price of his rental property by 38% after the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles.
- This comes after California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta promised last week to prosecute landlords who participate in the practice.
- Under the rules, which kicked in when the governor declared a state of emergency, local landlords generally can’t charge more than 10% above what they were charging or advertising before the crisis.
What happened to the Pacific Palisades reservoir during L.A.’s firestorm?
- On Jan. 7, the reservoir that had long been a lifeline was empty when Palisades residents needed it most, as a wildfire spread rapidly amid dangerously high winds.
- Officials said that the Santa Ynez Reservoir had been closed since about February for repairs to its cover, leaving a 117-million-gallon water storage complex empty in the heart of the Palisades for nearly a year.
- Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered an independent investigation of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power over the loss of water pressure and the empty Santa Ynez Reservoir, calling it “deeply troubling.”
Share your stories with us
- The Times is gathering stories and photos of what was lost for a visual collection of memories to publish at a later date. If you are in a safe area and would like to share a memory about things you lost in the fires, please fill out this form.
What else is going on
- “Erewhon 2.0” — the luxury supermarket chain that turned grocery shopping into a hyper-trendy Los Angeles lifestyle — is coming with three new locations opening in 2025.
- A private prison company has been accused of retaliating against immigrant detainees who protested working conditions inside a California facility.
- Trump’s order to cut off funding to sanctuary cities could threaten L.A. fire relief.
- Jim Acosta is tough on Trump. Will CNN move him to the graveyard shift?
- Prince Harry reaches a settlement with Murdoch’s U.K. tabloids. They apologize and admit to intruding on Princess Diana.
- Two men were caught on security camera stealing fire equipment from the U.S. Forest Service in Southern California.
- ‘Emilia Perez’ leads the 2025 Oscars with 13 nominations. See the full list.
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Commentary and opinions
- Before rebuilding, we should recognize the fires’ tragedies and opportunities, guest columnist Chelsea Kirk writes.
This morning’s must reads
This California city lost thousands of homes to fire. Santa Rosa’s rebuilding has lessons for L.A. It’s been more than seven years since homes in Santa Rosa’s Coffey Park neighborhood were incinerated by the Tubbs fire, which swept across Napa and Sonoma counties in a matter of hours before jumping six lanes of the 101 Freeway. Survivors have a message for L.A. fire victims: You can’t imagine it now, but it is possible to recover.
Other must reads
- No neighbors, no market, no town: For people whose homes survived, there’s a painful road ahead.
- Altadena reopens to reveal devastated homes — but a community still standing.
- He spent 25 years building his vinyl record collection. Then the fires reduced it to ashes.
- Many residents with disabilities can’t flee fires on their own. Could a database help?
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected].
For your downtime
Going out
- 🌵This desert town near Joshua Tree is brimming with new energy thanks to these 9 hip businesses.
- 🍗28 newcomers to the 101 Best Restaurants in L.A. list to visit ASAP.
- 🧢As historic fires continue to burn across Southern California, these local brands are selling Altadena, Palisades and L.A. gear for fire relief efforts.
Staying in
- 📕In her new book, “Mainline Mama,” author Keeonna Harris talks about raising children with her incarcerated husband.
- 🍪Here’s a recipe for thick and chewy chocolate chunk cookies.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
A question for you: What act of kindness makes you smile every time you think of it?
Alice Shaw writes: “At a Corner Bakery restaurant, an unaccompanied, older woman with a cane was slowly making her way to the doors (which were not automatic). A young boy, around 9 years old, ran ahead and held the heavy door open for her. As she walked through, her warm response to the young boy was a true statement of gratitude and the rapport demonstrated then was beautiful to see. Children like that make us feel the future is in good hands.”
Email us at [email protected], and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
And finally ... from our archives
On Jan. 23, 1997, Madeleine Albright was sworn in as America’s first female secretary of state. In this video produced by the Times, we recount her historic appointment and political career.
Have a great day, from the Essential California team
Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Defne Karabatur, fellow
Andrew Campa, Sunday reporter
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Hunter Clauss, multiplatform editor
Christian Orozco, assistant editor
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
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