LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A brush fire ignited Wednesday near Castaic Lake in north Los Angeles County amid windy and dry conditions.
The blaze, called the Hughes Fire, erupted around 10:30 a.m. and forced thousands of residents to evacuate.
Red-flag warnings for critical fire risk were extended through Friday morning across L.A. and Ventura counties.
Mandatory evacuations were issued Wednesday in the Castaic area due to the fast-spreading Hughes Fire.
CAL FIRE's map shows the evacuation zones.
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VNC Zone 2.
- Ridge Route Rd at Lake Hughes
- Ridge Route Rd at Templin Hwy
- Lake Hughes at Pine Cyn
- Dry Gulch at San Francisquito Cyn Rd
- I-5 NB at Parker Rd Off Ramp and I-5 NB at Lake Hughes Rd off ramp will be shut down.
Evacuation shelters
- Evacuation center: Valencia High School - 27801 Dickson Dr, Valencia, CA 91355
The 5 Freeway is shut down through the Grapevinejust north of State Route 126 due to the rapidly spreading flames from the Hughes Fire.
Lanes will be closed for an unknown duration.
You can useQuickMapor Google Maps to find alternate routes.
Evacuation orders have been extended into Ventura County, reaching the Lake Piru area west of Castaic.
A man who oversees multiple movie studios in the Santa Clarita Valley was forced to stop production Wednesday due to the Hughes Fire.
Daniel Veluzat with Santa Clarita Movie Ranch said at least one of his studios was forced to evacuate.
"We just pulled the plug on any production today," he said. "It's just not worth the risk. With these high winds, and the way that these embers fly like missiles, we can't take the chance. Those that don't understand how these fires work, somebody has to make that call and say, 'We've got to get to safety.'"
Thousands of residents in the Castaic area were forced to flee their homes as the Hughes Fire quickly grew in size Wednesday, and some said the recent destruction left by the Palisades and Eaton fires gave them a sense of urgency.
"The urgency is definitely there. You think you're ready, but you're never ready. You're never really ready to go," said resident David Monroe. "... It hits you fast."
Among the items he paced: family mementos, pictures and his two dogs. His wife was unable to get past the road closures and to the house to help.
Still, he waited back a bit to see how the situation developed.
"If I see embers, I'm gone... We've done this before. We've been evacuated before... I'll be ready to go."
The Hughes Fire has burned at least 5,0054 acres.
