With high winds driving the flames, a fast-moving wildfire exploded to more than 5,000 acres near the Los Angeles County community of Castaic Wednesday — prompting mandatory evacuations and road closures as it continued to spread.

The Hughes Fire is burning near Castaic Lake in the community of Castaic, just over six miles north of Six Flags Magic Mountain. It's a popular recreation area about 40 miles from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that are burning for a third week.

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.

The Hughes Fire has spread over 5,054 acres after starting just before lunchtime in Los Angeles County's Castaic Lake area on Wednesday.

At least 29 people are believed to be dead and more than a dozen others remain unaccounted for as multiple wildfires rage across Southern California.

Jan. 29 A new wildfire was reported today at 5:09 a.m. in Los Angeles County. The wildfire has been burning on private land. At this time, there is no information on the containment of the fire and the cause of it has yet to be determined.

Recent wildfires not only brought lose and heartache to the residents of the Los Angeles area, they also scorched state, city and county politics. While the initial voting in the races for California governor and Los Angeles mayor is more than a year away memories of how politicians dealt with the fires and its aftermath will linger.

Hughes Fire initially started 10:53 a.m. Jan. 22 in Los Angeles County. It has burned 10,425 acres after being active for six days. By Tuesday morning, the fire crew succeeded in containing 98% of the wildfire.

As the California wildfires continue to burn, there is hope to soon rebuild as the two largest fires are both close to full containment.