As the sun began to set over Castaic Lake on Wednesday, the hills to the north and east were engulfed in flames, casting an eerie orange glow across the valley below.

A brush fire erupted amid powerful winds Wednesday morning in the Castaic area, quickly spreading to more than 9,000 acres.

The Hughes Fire in Castaic area has burned more than 9,400 acres in just hours. While Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone called it a "difficult fire," he said that crews are "getting the upper hand on containing the blaze."

The fast-burning Hughes Fire prompted evacuations on Wednesday morning after it was reporting burning near Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County. (Source: KTTV)

The Hughes Fire grew to 10,176 acres and was 14% contained as of Thursday morning. Nearly 56,000 residents remain under evacuation orders and warnings, while several schools in the fire zones were closed.

Footage from a U.C. San Diego camera captured the moment the rapidly growing Hughes Fire erupted near Castaic Lake.

A homeowner in the North Lake neighborhood of Castaic describes what he witnessed as the Hughes Fire moved closer to his home.

Overnight water drops helped stop the spread of a huge wildfire churning through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles and firefighters battled to increase containment as dangerous winds whipped up again Thursday.

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.

A fast-moving wildfire exploded to roughly 10,200 acres near the Los Angeles County community of Castaic Wednesday morning, prompting mandatory evacuation orders and road closures, authorities said.

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.