Hughes Fire breaks out near Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County: See wildfire map
The Hughes Fire has spread to over 8,000 acres in Los Angeles County's Castaic area on Wednesday as dry vegetation and brutal Santa Ana winds continue to boost fire conditions across Southern California.
The brush fire spawned northwest of downtown Los Angeles soon before 11 a.m. on Wednesday and has since maintained a "rapid rate of spread and spotting," according to CalFire. The blaze quickly spread to 500 acres in just over an hour before extending to 3,400 acres by 12:30 p.m., officials reported. The fire spread at least 8,096 acres across both LA and Ventura counties as of 4 p.m. local time.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued to neighborhoods surrounding the Castaic Lake, about 10 miles north of Santa Clarita. Meanwhile nearby neighborhoods were under evacuation warnings.
The entire Southern California region remains on high alert as blazes recently broke out in parts of Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties, where red flag warnings remain in effect until Thursday night. The Santa Ana winds will bring gusts of up to 50 mph and isolated gusts of 75 mph for mountainous areas, according to the National Weather Service.
Multiple small brush fires erupted in San Diego County on Tuesday before fire crews quickly extinguished them. The 85-acre Lilac Fire was 90% contained as of Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, crews also minimized the nearby Friars and Pala fires as well as the Riverview and Clay fires in Riverside County.
See below for a map of the latest blaze that's concerning authorities.
Hughes wildfire map
Contributing: Thao Nguyen, Christopher Cann, Jorge L. Ortiz and Jeanine Santucci, Paste BN
This story has been updated to add new information.