At least 28 people are believed to be dead and more than a dozen others remain unaccounted for as multiple wildfires rage across Southern California.

Firefighters responded to a brush fire Wednesday north of Los Angeles on a day of red flag warnings for parts of Southern California.

Firefighters responded to a brush fire Wednesday north of Los Angeles on a day of red flag warnings for parts of Southern California.

Mandatory evacuation orders and warnings have been issued for a fast-moving wildfire that has burned at least 500 acres near the Los Angeles County community of Castaic Wednesday morning, authorities said.

Powerful winds and bone-dry conditions were expected to pose a challenge to firefighters battling new wildfires in southern California on Thursday, including a new blaze that swelled over the past day,

The about 500-acre Hughes Fire burning northeast of Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County has created smoke plumes

A new wildfire broke out in Los Angeles County, California, Wednesday, called the Hughes fire that has already grown to more than 5,000 acres in size.

CASTAIC, California >> Powerful winds and bone-dry conditions could pose a challenge to firefighters battling new wildfires in southern California today, including a blaze that swelled over the past day and forced tens of thousands of evacuations north of Los Angeles.

The Hughes Fire broke out around 10:45 a.m. near Castaic Lake, off Lake Hughes Road just north of Castaic Reservoir Road, before growing to 500 acres within an hour, authorities said. By 12:30 p.m., less than two hours after first being reported,

Fire crews are battling a swiftly growing blaze dubbed the Hughes Fire burning near Interstate 5 in Castaic, in the northern part of Los Angeles County.

Mark E. Potts is the senior editor for video at the Los Angeles Times. A native of Enid, Okla., Potts graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a master’s degree in broadcast journalism. He has created and edited video for DreamWorks, YouTube, Microsoft, Sony and BET.