LOS ANGELES – Firefighters raced to contain wildfires that started in Southern California Wednesday, as gusty Santa Ana winds continued to plague the southern portion of the state.The most recent, dubbed the Hughes Fire, exploded to life late Wednesday morning near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County. The fire swelled to more than 9,000 acres – sending a massive column of black smoke visible for miles.At one point during the inferno, more than 30 acres were estimated to have been consumed every minute.More than 56,000 residents were in the initial evacuation zones, which included around half a dozen public schools, with authorities scrambling to set up parent reunification centers.”Seeing significant amounts of smoke through Ventura County to the I-5 Corridor,” NWS Los Angeles said in a post on X.Several major roadways that connect the Bakersfield-area to the Los Angeles metro were temporarily shut down, including the busy Interstate 5 through the “Grapevine.”Aerial video showed flames approaching I-5 near Castaic Lake, north of Santa Clarita, as winds pushed the blaze towards the south and west.The area is well known for being home to Six Flags Magic Mountain, but the park appeared to be well outside of the initial fire zone.Authorities said those in the evacuation zone were alerted with cell phone alerts which appeared to be sent out correctly, unlike during previous fires.CAL FIRE reported that no structures had been lost, but there is concern that if the inferno continues it’ll jump into eastern portions of Ventura County, where evacuation notices were also in effect.Humidity values were reported to be less than 10% and winds were estimated to be 30-50 mph in the fire zone, which allowed the blaze to move erratically. The weather conditions were still in the acceptable range for firefighters to use both ground and air units to try to contain the blaze, unlike the deadly wildfires of Jan. 7.Wind gusts of hurricane-force grounded many aircraft during the historic wildfires, which caused the blazes to quickly grow out of control.Large air tankers were released during the evening when fire activity was considered to be minimal when compared to the afternoon hours.Firefighters have not said what caused the blaze, but there were no reported lightning strikes in the area, meaning investigators will likely focus on whether human causes are to blame.Another brush fire, dubbed the Bernado Fire, erupted near San Diego and Interstate 15 Wednesday morning, sending one person to the hospital with burns, according to San Diego Fire. Evacuation orders were in effect for a few hours, but 175 firefighters battling the blaze soon got the upper hand and contained the fire at 7 acres.Firefighters said that some resources originally devoted to the Pasadena Fire were sent to the frontlines of the Hughes Fire, but efforts were not being minimized around other fires.An estimated 4,000 firefighters were assigned to the blaze, many of whom were prepositioned due to the continued fire threat in the Golden State. The Clay Fire broke out in Riverside County around 5 p.m. local time Tuesday and spread to 38 acres before the fire’s progress was stopped by firefighters. The fire is 45% contained. Evacuation warnings were put in place for areas around the fire but have since been lifted. CAL FIRE reported that one-third of the acres burned were in the City of Riverside, California. A second fire, the Grimes Fire, popped up in Moorpark, in Ventura County, early Wednesday. Ventura County firefighters made quick work stopping the progress of the fire at 1 acre. Two buildings were threatened by the Grimes Fire, but no evacuations were given. Firefighters remained on the scene of both fires overnight to mop up the fires or continue putting them out after they’ve been contained. The cause of both fires is under investigation, officials said.WILDFIRES BREAK OUT IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY PROMPTING EVACUATIONS, DAMAGING BUILDINGSThe Lilac Fire continues to burn in San Diego County, but forward progress on the fire was stopped Tuesday. The fire burned 85 acres and is 90% contained, according to CAL FIRE.The fire prompted local officials to issue evacuation orders for those south of Pala Mesa and west of Interstate 15. Evacuation orders have since been lifted. In Los Angeles County, the deadly Palisades and Eaton fires are still burning, but firefighters keep making progress toward containing the several-thousand-acre blazes. The Palisades Fire is 65% contained and has burned 23,448 acres as of Wednesday.  Since Jan. 7, more than 14,000 structures have been destroyed in the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles County, leading to the event being labeled as one of the costliest disasters in U.S. history. The death toll rose to 28 on Tuesday as the Los Angeles County coroner identified another victim from the fires. The Eaton Fire has burned more than 14,000 acres and is 91% contained.HOW DID THE LOS ANGELES-AREA WILDFIRES RAPIDLY SPREAD?Fire weather alerts remain in place through Friday for parts of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, according to the National Weather Service office in Los Angeles. Wind gusts of up to 65 mph are expected in the mountains, while 30-50 mph gusts are likely everywhere else. Humidity stays low as well, further fueling the likelihood of rapid fire spread. Earlier in the week, the National Weather Service issued a “Particularly Dangerous Situation” Fire Weather Warning for the two counties. Fire weather stays elevated for parts of Los Angeles and many coastal communities along Southern California through Friday morning. Farther inland, the threat increases to critical. Cities within the critical area, like Riverside, Oxnard and Santa Clarita, should remain alert to local forecasts and listen to public officials, the NWS said. However, a change in the weather comes for the weekend, as the region may see its first significant rain in weeks. However, that brings a threat of flash flooding in burn scar areas.