For the latest information, evacuation orders and warnings for the Hughes Fire in Castaic, go to fire.ca.gov

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A fast-moving brush fire rapidly exploded across thousands of acres of thick vegetation near Castaic Lake, prompting mandatory evacuations in the lake area and into the heart of Castaic, but while high winds push the flames, a squadron of aerial assets helped crews Thursday gain "the upper hand."

The Hughes Fire was reported at about 11 a.m. Wednesday in a remote area east of the lake, according to Cal Fire. Aided by gusting Santa Ana winds and thick, dry vegetation, the fire scorched 8,096 acres by late afternoon, then reached roughly 9,450 acres as of early evening.

It grew to 10,176 acres and was 14% contained Thursday.

The winds and dry terrain led to rampant spotting of the fire, allowing it to jump roadways and continue expanding.

More than a dozen water- and retardant-dropping aircraft were on the scene, including the county's two leased Super Scooper fixed-wing planes, along with DC-10 airliners capable to dumping thousands of gallons of retardant.

By early evening Wednesday, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said the "situation remains dynamic and the fire remains a difficult fire to contain, although we are getting the upper hand."

National Weather Service forecasters said winds of up to 60 mph were possible overnight. But Marrone noted that while the winds were dangerous, "they were not those 70, 80, 90 mph winds that we experienced" on Jan. 7 when the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires erupted in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, respectively.

Marrone noted that as of early evening there were no reports of structures damaged or injuries. He said that thanks to the aerial assault on the blaze, conditions had improved greatly since the early hours of the fire.

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for a wide area enveloping Castaic Lake, including the heart of Castaic. An even wider area fell under evacuation warnings as the fire quickly spread, including an area reaching Lake Piru in Ventura County west of Castaic. Many evacuation warnings turned to evacuation orders as the fire quickly progressed Wednesday afternoon.

At a 5 p.m. news briefing, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said about 31,000 people were under evacuation orders, and another 25,000 were under evacuation warnings.

Luna said the sheriff's Pitchess Detention Center jail facility in Castaic was under an evacuation order, and about 476 inmates were being moved from one of the complex's buildings to a different facility. Luna said that in consultation with the fire department, a decision was made to have the roughly 4,600 inmates at the complex shelter in place inside the concrete structures, but "we do have a plan in place to evacuate the rest of the inmates ... if we absolutely had to."

Closures were ordered along multiple local streets, including Ridge Route Road, Lake Hughes Road and Dry Gulch. The Golden State (5) Freeway was closed in both directions between Grapevine Road on the north and state Route 126 on the south as the fire raged, but it was reopened early Wednesday evening, with smoke no longer causing visibility concerns on the roadway.

Firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Angeles National Forest were attacking the blaze, along with crews from the city of Los Angeles and Cal Fire.

Marrone credited the pre-positioning of state fire crews and the rapid response of aerial assets for beginning the process of establishing containment lines, although officially the fire had 0% containment as of Wednesday evening.

He said roughly 4,000 firefighters would remain working on the fire overnight trying to establish and fortify containment lines and attacking hotspots.

It was unclear what sparked the fire, which erupted during persistent red flag fire conditions that had been expected to expire Thursday night, but were extended until 10 a.m. Friday.

NWS forecasters said winds in the fire area were expected to increase again Thursday, peaking in the morning and afternoon hours. Rain is expected to fall in the region over the weekend, but likely only a quarter- to half-inch.

North Lake Hills Elementary School just west of Castaic Lake was evacuated, with students taken to the Castaic Sports Complex. All students from Castaic Middle and Elementary schools were taken to the Ralphs parking lot at Hasley Canyon, where parents were able to retrieve their children. Castaic High School was also evacuated.

All schools in the Castaic Union School District will be closed on Thursday.

College of the Canyons closed both of its campuses in the Santa Clarita area when the fire erupted Wednesday, and they will remain closed Thursday. Online classes will meet as scheduled.

A temporary evacuation center for people displaced by the fire was originally established at Hart High School, 24825 Newhall Ave., Santa Clarita, but the Red Cross established an evacuation shelter at College of the Canyons East Gym, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road.

Small animals can be taken to the Palmdale Animal Care Center, 38550 Sierra Highway. Small and large animals can be taken to Lancaster Animal Care Center, 5210 W. Avenue I. Large animals can also be taken to Pierce College, 6201 Winnetka Ave., Woodland Hills.

Gary and Shannon

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