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Brush fire erupts near Castaic Lake; evacuations ordered
Los Angeles County Fire Department and Angeles National Forest Service personnel are battling a fast-moving brush fire that started near Castaic Lake shortly after 10:40 a.m. Wednesday and quickly prompted evacuation orders for the lake and large swaths of Castaic.
The blaze, being called the Hughes Fire, spread quickly along both sides of Lake Hughes Road to the northeast of the lake, and radio dispatch traffic shortly after 11 a.m. indicated spot fires were popping up near the Ridge Route, approaching Interstate 5, prompting evacuations of residences, businesses and schools in the Castaic area.
As of 12:20 p.m., the fire has grown in size to 3,004 acres with 0% containment, according to a post on X by the Angeles National Forest.
The Hughes Fire erupted northeast of Castaic Lake and quickly burned southwest, prompting evacuations in Castaic Lake. Habeba Mostafa/The Signal Castaic Sports Complex and Paradise Ranch Mobile Home Park were placed under evacuation order as of 11:20 a.m.
North Lake Hills Elementary was also being evacuated just after 11:30 a.m., according to Charmin Ortega, executive assistant to the superintendent of the Castaic Union School District.
Castaic High School, Castaic Middle School and Castaic Elementary School were all listed as being under evacuation orders as of 11:40 a.m.
“As many of you may know, a vegetation fire is currently burning on the east side of Castaic Lake,” reads an alert sent by the William S. Hart Union High School District to Castaic High families. “We have been reassured by our law enforcement and fire partners that the school is currently not in any danger. Out of an abundance of caution, and as a result of poor air conditions, we will be ceasing all school activities for the day immediately. Students will be dismissed to leave at 11:40 a.m.
“For any students who are not able to be picked up, we have buses coming at this time to transport students to West Ranch High School. We will notify all families once those buses leave so you will know where to pick your child up.”In a message sent to the entire Hart district community just after 12:30 p.m., families were alerted that no other schools were in warning areas but that officials were “closely monitoring the situation and air quality” and updates will be provided as necessary.
Saugus Union School District Superintendent Colleen Hawkins said the district has notified parents “out of an abundance of caution” that classes have been cancelled at Tesoro Del Valle and West Creek elementary schools. The district’s Child Development Program is closed for the day.
Both the College of the Canyons Valencia campus and Canyon Country campus are closed and on-ground classes have been canceled for Wednesday, according to Wendy Trujillo, spokeswoman for the college and part of the incident command team. She said the college will be serving as a Red Cross evacuation center.
Online classes are still set to be held, Trujillo said.
Road closures have also been put into effect, according to a post from the Angeles National Forest on X at noon. They are as follows:
- Ridge Route Road at Lake Hughes Road.
- Ridge Route Road at Templin Highway.
- Lake Hughes Road at Pine Canyon Road.
- Dry Gulch Road at San Francisquito Canyon Road.
- Golden State Freeway.
- Bitter Canyon.
- Sterling Lane.
The Hughes Fire erupted northeast of Castaic Lake and quickly burned southwest, prompting evacuations in Castaic Lake. Habeba Mostafa/The Signal The ramps at Parker Road and Lake Hughes Road on Interstate 5 have also been shut down, according to Officer Carlos Burgos-Lopez, spokesman for the California Highway Patrol’s Newhall-area office.
“I-5 is currently open and is affected by the heavy smoke,” reads a post from the CHP office on X at 11:40 a.m. “Please drive safely through the area.”
The incident was initially reported as near Lake Hughes Road and Dry Gulch Road, but closer to Castaic Lake than Lake Elizabeth, according to radio dispatch traffic
Initial radio dispatch reports indicated the fire quickly reached 50-100 acres and was crossing Lake Hughes Road.
L.A. County Fire Department personnel were dispatched to battle the fire at 10:39 a.m., according to Luis Garcia, a spokesman with the department’s media information line, adding the location is near Interstate 5.
The Angeles National Forest Service is leading the incident response, he said.
An evacuation order was placed for Castaic Lake as of 11:08 a.m. Evacuation warnings have been posted on protect.genasys.com, according to Deputy Robert Jensen of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station, via text.
Dana Dierkes, public affairs officer for the Angeles National Forest, said firefighters were responding to the incident off Lake Hughes Road, north of Castaic Reservoir Road in Castaic.
Click here for a link to the evacuation map: https://bit.ly/3E78Ngj
This is a breaking news story and additional information will be added as it becomes available.
The Hughes Fire erupted northeast of Castaic Lake and quickly burned southwest, prompting evacuations in Castaic Lake. Habeba Mostafa/The Signal 
The Hughes Fire erupted northeast of Castaic Lake and quickly burned southwest, prompting evacuations in Castaic Lake. Habeba Mostafa/The Signal
Brush fire erupts near Castaic Lake; evacuations orderedA brush fire has erupted near Castaic Lake, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders for nearby residents. The fire, which started on Friday afternoon, has quickly spread due to strong winds and dry conditions in the area.
Fire crews are currently working to contain the blaze, but residents are urged to evacuate immediately to ensure their safety. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
We will continue to provide updates on the situation as more information becomes available. Please stay tuned for further instructions and stay safe.
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Cash App Ordered to Pay $255 Million in Penalties Over Fraud
Cash App, the smartphone payments tool that allows instant money transfers and is popular with young people, has made billions in profits for Block, the technology conglomerate run by the billionaire Jack Dorsey.
One way it was able to do that, according to settlements the company reached with federal and state regulators this week, was by making it virtually impossible for users to reclaim money lost in fraudulent transactions.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said the company delayed refunds and misled its 50 million users about whose responsibility it was to pay back their claims. When users reported fraud transactions to Cash App, instead of investigating the matter, the company pointed them to their banks.
The federal regulator also said the company made it cumbersome for fraud victims to report claims, shuffling them between its website and a phone number with a recorded message instructing them to visit the website. The purpose, regulators said, was to exhaust customers so much that they eventually gave up.
The company encouraged its customer service workers to avoid resolving users’ fraud-related claims, and used two internal metrics — “win rate” and “stick rate” — to measure the proportion of charge-back requests it was able to avoid, according to a settlement it reached with the consumer bureau on Thursday.
Cash App, along with Venmo and Zelle, is part of the growing collection of peer-to-peer payments applications that allow individuals and businesses to transfer money. Cash App is particularly popular with Black and Hispanic users, as well as those younger than 50. Along with similar payment tools, it has long been subject to complaints about fraud and scams.
The actions this week were taken separately by 48 state attorneys general and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a federal agency that has been on a sprint of activity in the final weeks before President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inauguration.
Cash App will pay $80 million in fines to the states, up to $120 million to fraud victims and $55 million to the consumer bureau. Federal authorities also imposed new requirements for Cash App to be more responsive to fraud claims, including by setting up a 24-hour hotline, which it had previously told users it operated. The authorities said that was not the case.
Lena Anderson, a spokeswoman for Block, confirmed that the company had reached a settlement with state regulators but would not comment on the states’ charges against the company, which included failure to fend off illicit activity on the platform. Ms. Anderson said those matters were related to a “past compliance program.” She also said the company disagreed with the consumer bureau’s assertions but “made the decision to settle this matter in the interest of putting it behind us.”
The company, Ms. Anderson continued, now operates multiple conduits for customer support and an “industry-leading approach to scams.”
Separately, Cash App agreed last year to pay as much as $2,500 to each user whose personal data had been stolen in breaches. Cash App earned $1.3 billion in gross profits in the third quarter, according to Block’s filings.
After the consumer bureau’s recent legal actions against peer-to-peer payment apps, two technology trade groups, TechNet and NetChoice, sued the agency in federal court Thursday for what they called an “unlawful power grab” in its policing of the industry. An agency spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment on those allegations.
In a recent development, popular mobile payment app Cash App has been ordered to pay $255 million in penalties over fraud. The app, owned by Square Inc., has been accused of allowing fraudulent transactions to take place on its platform, resulting in significant financial losses for users.The penalties were imposed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), who found that Cash App had failed to adequately protect users from scams and unauthorized transactions. The app had also been found to have misled users about their rights and responsibilities when it came to disputing fraudulent charges.
In response to the penalties, Cash App has stated that it is committed to improving its security measures and protecting its users from fraud. The company has also agreed to provide refunds to affected users and implement additional safeguards to prevent future incidents of fraud.
This significant penalty serves as a reminder of the importance of vigilance when it comes to online transactions, and the need for platforms like Cash App to prioritize user security and protection. Users are advised to exercise caution when using mobile payment apps and to report any suspicious activity immediately.
Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.
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