CASTAIC, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters fought to maintain the upper hand on a huge and rapidly moving wildfire that swept through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles and resulted in more than 50,000 people being put under evacuation orders or warnings.

Exhausted firefighters battling deadly infernos for weeks are now grappling with two new wildfires torching Southern California.

A new wildfire that erupted in northern Los Angeles County triggered tens of thousands of evacuation orders and warnings.

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.

The Palisades and Eaton wildfires continue burning in the Los Angeles area that left parts of Southern California with devastating fire damage.

A rare Particularly Dangerous Situation warning has been issued for Southern California as a powerful and potentially damaging Santa Ana wind event​ is expected.

A fire broke out Wednesday night along the 405 Freeway in the Sepulveda Pass near the Getty Center, burning about 20 acres and spurring an evacuation warning.

The Hughes fire seen from Magic Mountain has started north of Castaic and has exploded to more than 5,000 acres in under two hours on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, in Castaic, California. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS) (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Southern California is heading into a day of its most extreme fire weather with bone-dry vegetation and strong Santa Ana winds that officials warn could turn a small blaze into a massive inferno.

As winds across the Southern California area are calmer than their peak and firefighters are making progress, the threat to the fire-weary region remains with Santa Ana winds expected to continue in the coming days.