Amid an extended red flag warning, the Hughes fire exploded north of Castaic on Wednesday and quickly grew to more than 9,400 acres. About 31,000 people in areas surrounding the fire were under evacuation orders.

On Wednesday, Jan. 22, the Hughes fire broke out in Castaic amidst the red flag warning, spreading to over 9,000 acres by Wednesday evening as dry and windy weather affected the area.

Dubbed the Hughes Fire, the wildfire broke out around 10:42 am and went from 50-100 acres to 9,000 acres in hours, threatening local communities and Magic Mountain.

NWS' 3:40 a.m. advisory indicates winds were blowing northeast at speeds between 25 to 35 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph.

The dangerous fire conditions in Southern California are expected to last a little longer than previously anticipated. The red flag warning was set to expire at 2 p.m., but the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in an alert that it had been extended until 10 p.

Unless conditions change, the restrictions will be in place within the city through 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, officials said.

The National Weather Service on Tuesday extended its red flag warning for Southern California until Thursday evening.

A red flag warning was extended Wednesday afternoon and is now in effect through Friday morning for most of Los Angeles and Ventura counties due to extremely low humidity and offshore wind gusts, according to the National Weather Service.

A red flag warning was extended Wednesday afternoon and is in effect through Friday morning for most of Los Angeles and Ventura counties due to extremely low humidity and offshore wind gusts, according to the National Weather Service.