Weather 
CASTAIC, Calif. () — A brush fire erupted amid powerful winds Wednesday afternoon in the Castaic area, quickly spreading to more than 3,400 acres as it burned out of control near the 5 Freeway, officials said.
Fire crews from Los Angeles County and the Angeles National Forest responded to the so-called Hughes Fire after it broke out about 11 a.m. in the area of Lake Hughes Road.
Evacuation orders and warnings were issued shortly afterward, according to official maps on the Cal Fire and Genasys websites.
Mandatory evacuations were issued Wednesday in the Castaic area due to the fast-spreading Hughes Fire. CAL FIRE’s map shows the evac zones.
No injuries were reported and no structures were immediately threatened in the mostly rural and mountainous burn zone.
Crews on the scene reported the fire was spotting across Lake Hughes Road and prompting evacuations in the Castaic Lake area and warnings in remote canyon areas near Castaic, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The lake was acting as a firebreak of sorts as it stopped part of the fire line from advancing toward the freeway.
Massive columns of smoke were rising above the burn area and were visible for miles.
Multiple helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, including Super Scoopers, were seen performing water drops and dumping pink Phos-Chek on the flames.
The 5 Freeway was shrouded in smoke but remained open to traffic as of noon, but the likelihood that lanes would be shut down was increasing as the fire burned near the interstate.
Footage from a U.C. San Diego camera captured the moment the rapidly growing Hughes Fire erupted near Castaic Lake.
The cause of the fire was unknown.
Santa Clarita’s College of the Canyons was closed as a precaution, and three Castaic schools were evacuated: Northlake Hills Elementary School, Castaic Elementary School, and Castaic Middle School.
Red flag warnings for critical fire risk were extended through 8 p.m. Thursday in L.A. and Ventura counties.
The low humidity, bone-dry vegetation and strong winds came as firefighters continued to battle the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have killed at least 28 people and destroyed more than 14,000 structures since they broke out Jan. 7. Containment of the Palisades Fire reached 68%, and the Eaton Fire was at 91%.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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