The fire threat remains critical in Southern California, where thousands of residents were under evacuation orders Wednesday as fire crews battled the out-of-control Hughes Fire near Castaic, a suburb in the foothills and mountains of northern Los Angeles County.

Much-anticipated rain could be headed to drought-stricken Southern California this weekend -- but rainfall also brings the threat of landslides.

More than 31,000 people have been ordered to evacuate from the Hughes Fire, and another 23,000 are under evacuation warnings, LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said. There were no reports of homes or other structures burned. Parts of Interstate 5 near the Hughes Fire that had been closed reopened Wednesday evening.

Santa Ana winds will continue whipping through Southern California through Thursday, sparking fears that progress made fighting wildfires that have scorched over 40,000 acres and left 28 dead could be reversed and more blazes could break out.

Prices are now 1.5% off their all-time high in July, but some economists say prospective home buyers and sellers shouldn’t expect home values to plunge — one reason behind the shift is the market typically slows in the fall and winter and prices are still above where they were a year ago.

California Republicans are pushing back against suggestions by President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans that federal disaster aid for victims of wildfires that ravaged Southern California should come with strings attached,

Southern California is expected to be slammed with up to hurricane-strength gusts that could spark a growth in various wildfires through Tuesday morning, officials said.

A second day of windy and dry conditions is in store for Southern California. Winds have picked up and are expected to continue through Tuesday morning, raising the risk of new wildfires sparking.

In recent weeks, Trump and his allies — notably billionaire Elon Musk on his X platform — have attacked Newsom's leadership and at times promoted misinformation about California's response. And House Speaker Mike Johnson has suggested there should be conditions on federal wildfire aid to force changes in California.

Investigators are looking for two men accused of stealing equipment from a fire engine in Southern California amid more brutal wildfires.

The Sepulveda fire was the latest blaze in a nerve-racking week as Southern California headed into a fourth consecutive day of red flag fire weather warnings. The alerts caution that conditions are ripe for fires to ignite and spread rapidly.