The Hughes fire, which broke out north of Santa Clarita on Wednesday, has scorched more than 10,000 acres.

As critical fire weather continues to strike in Southern California, crews are also tasked with preparing for a storm expected this weekend that could trigger mudslides in burn scar areas.

At least 28 people are believed to be dead and more than a dozen others remain unaccounted for as multiple wildfires rage across Southern California.

The Hughes fire broke out a little before 11 a.m., roughly 5 miles north of the Pitchess Detention Center. The sheriff's department has struggled with a shortage of buses to transport inmates.

See below for a look at where major wildfires are burning in Los Angeles County and where evacuation zones are located.

Gusty Santa Ana winds fanned the flames of a new, rapidly growing wildfire near Santa Clarita, California, on Wednesday, and smoke once again filled the sky over Southern California. The Hughes Fire was first reported at 10:53 a.

The Hughes fire started off Lake Hughes Road just before 11 a.m. and quickly prompted evacuations orders in and around Castaic Lake, which by afternoon extended toward Ventura County to the west and near Sandberg to the north. More than 31,000 people were ordered to evacuate and another 20,000 were in areas where evacuation warnings were issued.

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 erupted 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 warn conditions will worsen through the night.

More wildfires started in Southern California on Tuesday night and Wednesday, as gusty Santa Ana winds continue to plague the state this week.

Evacuations were ordered on Wednesday for remote communities near a new, fast-moving wildfire in mountains north of Los Angeles, as Southern California endured another round of dangerous winds ahead of possible rain over the weekend.