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.

A fresh California wildfire ignited north of Los Angeles Wednesday during "critical" fire weather and triggered evacuations as it quickly exploded in size across two counties on Wednesday — and forecasters warned conditions would worsen overnight.

Forecasters warn that dangerous winds will buffet Southern California for at least two more days as new wildfires broke out and a pair of major Los Angeles-area blazes burned for