LA County Sheriff says about 31,000 people were under mandatory evacuation orders while another 23,000 were under evacuation 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.

Firefighters have slowed the spread of a huge wildfire churning through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles where dangerous winds gained strength again.

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.

Fresh California wildfires ignited in Southern California on Thursday during "critical" fire weather, leaving tens of thousands of people under evacuation orders. The big picture: The Hughes Fire, north of Los Angeles,