Officials ordered evacuations in the area surrounding the Hughes Fire on Wednesday morning, located near Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County.

CASTAIC, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters fought to maintain the upper hand on a huge and rapidly moving wildfire that swept through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles and resulted in more than 50,000 people being put under evacuation orders or warnings.

The investigation is critical for not only understanding what happened, but for ensuring it never happens again, said an attorney for 300 Altadena residents.

Southern California is battling the Hughes Fire, which broke out around 11 a.m. near Lake Hughes Road, close to the 5 Freeway and Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County.

A fast-moving California fire has forced authorities to evacuate part of a 5,000-person jail in Los Angeles County. The Hughes Fire, which broke out Wednesday afternoon in Castaic, is 0 percent contained and has already burned nearly 9,

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

Dozens of people are believed to have died in the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have burned down whole swaths of communities

Palisades Fire initially started 10:30 a.m. Jan. 7 in Los Angeles County. It has burned 23,713 acres after being active for nine days. A crew of 4,471 firefighters has been working on site and they managed to contain 27% of the fire by Thursday evening. The blaze's cause remains under investigation.

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said Tuesday that “life-threatening and destructive and widespread winds” are in the region, which could fuel the growth of new or existing wildfires in Los Angeles County and Ventura County.

After a weekend of reprieve allowing fire teams to continue making progress battling the deadly infernos burning in Los Angeles County, Southern California now faces another round of fire-fueling Santa Ana winds.

The Palisades and Eaton wildfires continue burning in the Los Angeles area as Southern California prepares for increased fire danger.