Amid an extended red flag warning, the Hughes fire exploded north of Castaic on Wednesday and quickly grew to more than 9,400 acres. About 31,000 people in areas surrounding the fire were under evacuation orders.

The blaze temporarily closed parts of Interstate 5 and prompted evacuation orders and warnings for more than 50,000 people.

As the sun began to set over Castaic Lake on Wednesday, the hills to the north and east were engulfed in flames, casting an eerie orange glow across the valley below.

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 Hughes fire ignited about 45 miles north-west of the city of Los Angeles on Wednesday morning, near Castaic Lake in a mountainous area that borders several residential areas and schools. The blaze grew to more than 9,

Nearly 20,000 people were ordered to evacuate Wednesday as a huge and fast-moving wildfire swept through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles, as parched Southern California endured another round of dangerous winds and two major previous blazes continued to smolder.