The Hughes fire, burning near Castaic Lake north of Santa Clarita, exploded to more than 10,000 acres of mostly brush in just a few hours. More than 50,000 people were under evacuation orders and warnings.

A key stretch of Interstate 5 was closed Wednesday afternoon to southbound traffic due to a fast-moving wildfire sweeping through Southern California. The Hughes Fire sparked around 10:45 a.m. Wednesday near Castiac , according to the Angeles National Forest.

Interstate 5 is closed due to the Hughes Fire that erupted earlier Wednesday. “All lanes of northbound & southbound I-5 are CLOSED through the Grapevine due to the Hughes Fire,” Caltrans posted on social media around 3 p.m.

Interstate 5 was closed in both directions from the Grapevine to Castaic as the Hughes Fire burned Wednesday afternoon.The Hughes Fire broke our Wednesday morni

The Hughes Fire has now burned 8,096 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties since igniting late Wednesday morning near Castaic Lake, according to Cal Fire. More than 24,00 people have been ordered to evacuate due to the Hughes Fire. Another 30,000 people are in evacuation warning zones.

A driver is dead after crash involving a sedan and a big rig on Interstate 5, southwest of Gustine in Merced County, according to the California Highway Patrol. Los Banos CHP officers responded to the collision in the northbound lanes of Interstate 5,

: Caltrans said I-5 is open in both directions between Highway 126 and Grapevine Road. The Lake Hughes Road and Parker Road off-ramps from northbound I-5 remain closed. ORIGINAL: Travelers looking to drive to Southern California through the Grapevine will need to look for alternative plans.

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.

Firefighters battled two new brush fires - the Hughes Fire near Castaic Lake and the Sepulveda Fire in Bel Air, along the 405 Freeway.

Firefighters continue to battle multiple wildfires in Southern California as the return of strong Santa Ana winds and critical fire weather conditions have fueled new blazes in the drought-stricken region.

A large brush fire that erupted near Interstate 5 in Castaic has burned more than 5,000 acres, causing several evacuation orders and warnings Wednesday morning.

Residents in the Castaic area were still being kept out of zones evacuated due to the Hughes Fire as of midday Thursday.