With high winds driving the flames, a fast-moving wildfire exploded to roughly 10,200 acres near the Los Angeles County community of Castaic Wednesday, prompting mandatory evacuation orders for tens of thousands of people.
Coverage of when the Hughes fire exploded north of Castaic, the areas under evacuation orders and an extended red flag warning.
Some evacuation orders have been lifted as firefighters with air support slowed the spread of the Hughes Fire, but new blazes erupted in other parts of SoCal.
A fast-moving brush fire erupted in Los Angeles County on Wednesday morning, quickly racing across 1,000 acres of terrain, aided by heavy, dry fuels and pushed by gusting Santa Ana winds.
The Hughes Fire was first reported shortly after 10:30 a.m. along Lake Hughes Road, near Castaic Lake and the 5 Freeway, according to Cal Fire.
The Hughes, Sepulveda and Laguna fires are among the latest blazes for Southern California during a fourth consecutive day of red flag fire weather warnings.
The Hughes Fire has spread over 5,054 acres after starting just before lunchtime in Los Angeles County's Castaic Lake area on Wednesday.
Thousands of firefighters have been battling wildfires across 45 square miles of densely populated Los Angeles County. The two largest fires, the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades and the Eaton Fire near Pasadena, remain active. One of the latest, the Hughes Fire in the Castaic area, has prompted evacuation orders for tens of thousands of people.
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.
Overnight water drops helped stop the spread of a huge wildfire churning through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles.
Firefighters gained more ground Thursday on a fast-moving brushfire that erupted north of Los Angeles the day before and within hours exploded to thousands of acres amid high winds, officials said.