LA is on edge as new fires ignite — with one already rampaging across more than 10,300 acres

• The Hughes fire erupted Wednesday, the latest in a string of large wildfires in Southern California.
• As of Thursday evening, the fire covered over 10,300 acres and was 36% contained.
• Another small fire broke out overnight along a major freeway, but its forward progress was stopped.

Los Angeles County was bracing itself yet again Thursday after a new fire broke out and spread to more than 10,000 acres.

The Hughes Fire started at about 10:50 a.m. local time Wednesday near Castaic, north of Los Angeles. It was first reported at about 50 acres — but soon mushroomed to more than 10,000 acres by midnight, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

As of Thursday evening, the fire had burned 10,396 acres and was 36% contained. Firefighters were able to stop significant spread of the flames on Thursday despite continued high wind conditions.

The new fire hit as the Southern California region was still reeling from a series of fires, including the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire, that burned through more than 37,000 acres earlier this month.

Cal Fire said a second, small blaze also broke out early Thursday just east of a major freeway, the I-405, near Sepulveda Pass.

Air support and "other aggressive actions" were deployed to fight it, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said.

Named the Sepulveda Fire, burned through 45 acres and was 60% contained as of Thursday evening, Cal Fire said. Its forward progress was stopped within the first few hours, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

An evacuation warning for the area — which contained a $30 million property owned by Rupert Murdoch, per the Los Angeles Times — has since been lifted.

Another small fire, the Laguna Fire, broke out in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, on Thursday morning. The fire spread to 50 acres but forward progress was quickly stopped, the Ventura County Fire Department said.

The causes of the three fires remain unknown.

For areas near the Hughes Fire, evacuation orders were issued for more than 31,000 people and evacuation warnings were issued for another 23,000 people, officials said at a press conference Wednesday.

The fire threatens more than 14,000 structures, but so far, none have been confirmed damaged or destroyed, the LA County Coordinated Joint Information Center said.

The vital I-5 freeway was also temporarily closed as a result of the Hughes Fire, and some off-ramps in the area remained closed Wednesday evening.

Earlier this month, the Palisades and Eaton Fires tore through the Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and neighboring areas, killing at least 27 people, destroying thousands of homes and other structures, and causing what could amount to $275 billion in damages by AccuWeather's estimate.

Malibu began its repopulation efforts on Wednesday, allowing residents in select evacuation zones to begin returning to their homes with assistance from the fire department, sheriff's department, community response teams, and others.

The region remains at risk as the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, with dangerous fire weather conditions expected through Friday.

But, the agency is also forecasting rain over the weekend, which would bring relief to any fires still burning.

This story is developing. Check back for updates.