Hughes blaze expands to 10,000 acres within hours
The rapidly spreading brush fire that ignited Wednesday near Castaic Lake grew to 10,176 acres by early Thursday, according to local officials.

Firefighters battling the blaze in the brush north of Santa Clarita and Valencia had it about 14% contained on Thursday morning, according to Angeles National Forest officials.
The fire, about 45 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, erupted around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, prompting mandatory evacuation orders and evacuation warnings for about 50,000 people, officials said.

As more than 4,000 firefighters responded to the scene, an air tanker and four helicopters attacked the blaze from the air, preventing it from jumping nearby Interstate 5, officials said.

The Hughes Fires is just the latest in a series of wildfires that have ravaged Los Angeles County, since Jan. 7. Strong Santa Ana winds, which are forecast to buffet the area through Friday, have fanned the fires, causing some to spread quickly.

Red flag fire warnings remain in place for Los Angeles County and much of Southern California.