The unincorporated community of Castaic is about 15 miles northwest of the city of Santa Clarita and borders the Angeles National Forest. Approximately 31,000 residents in the area are under evacuation orders, while 23,000 are under evacuation warnings, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.

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 fast-moving brush fire raced across thousands of acres of thick vegetation near Castaic Lake Wednesday, forcing mandatory evacuations in the lake area and into the heart of Castaic, with warnings stretching toward Santa Clarita and reaching the Ventura County line.