Evacuation orders and warnings were issued to more than 31,000 people in the vicinity of two new wildfires north of Los Angeles on Wednesday.

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.

Following arrests of alleged firefighter impersonators, officials say two more people have been taken into custody for using fake passes to unlawfully enter a fire evacuation zone.

By David Swanson and Daniel Trotta CASTAIC, California (Reuters) -A new wildfire that broke out north of Los Angeles on Wednesday rapidly spread to more than 9,400 acres (38 square km), fueled by strong winds and dry brush,

Firefighters in Southern California conducted another fierce wildfire fight on Wednesday and into Thursday morning.

Offramps along Interstate 5, a major north-south artery, were closed as flames raced along hilltops and down into rugged canyons.

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, Sepulveda and Laguna fires are the latest blazes in a nerve-racking week as Southern California heads into a fourth consecutive day of red flag fire weather warnings.

A brush fire erupted amid powerful winds Wednesday afternoon in the Castaic area in the northern region of Los Angeles County, spreading quickly to 10,176 acres near the freeway, officials said.

All lanes of the I-5 Freeway through the Grapevine will be closed for an unknown duration, according to the California Highway Patrol.

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.

Two men on dirt bikes escaped police after a chase through surface streets and freeways in Los Angeles County, waving at police and news helicopters. No one was arrested.