The Hughes Fire sent thick grey smoke billowing over homes in Santa Clarita, California. At least 31,000 residents were ordered to evacuate due to the rapid spread of the blaze on Wednesday afternoon,

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

A fresh California wildfire ignited north of Los Angeles Wednesday during "critical" fire weather and triggered evacuations as it quickly exploded in size across two counties on Wednesday into Thursday.

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.

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.

Over 1,100 firefighters were “strategically pre-positioned” across Southern California to address "ongoing critical fire weather," Cal Fire said.

Thousands of firefighters have been battling wildfires across 45 square miles of densely populated Los Angeles County. The two largest fires, the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades and the Eaton Fire near Pasadena, remain active. One of the latest, the Hughes Fire in the Castaic area, has prompted evacuation orders for tens of thousands of people.

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.

The Hughes Fire, which broke out north of Santa Clarita in Castaic, Calif., earlier Wednesday, has scorched more than 3,400 acres, according to Cal Fire.

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.

A fast-moving wildfire exploded to roughly 10,200 acres near the Los Angeles County community of Castaic Wednesday morning, prompting mandatory evacuation orders and road closures, authorities said.