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.

Officials ordered evacuations in the area surrounding the Hughes Fire on Wednesday morning, located near Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County.

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, 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.

Over 1,100 firefighters were “strategically pre-positioned” across Southern California to address "ongoing critical fire weather," Cal Fire said.

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.

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.

Firefighters in Southern California have been conducting more fierce wildfire fights as crews race to contain and extinguish several fires that broke out on Wednesday and Thursday.

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.