A new wildfire that broke out north of Los Angeles yesterday has rapidly spread to more than 9,400 acres, fueled by strong winds and dry brush.

In just a few hours on Wednesday the new firedubbed the Hughes fire, grew to two-thirds the size of the Eaton Fire, one of the two monster conflagrations that have ravaged the Los Angeles area.

The Hughes fire about 50 miles north of Los Angeles have forced mandatory evacuation orders for more than 31,000 people.

Officials warned people in the Castaic Lake area of Los Angeles County that they faced “immediate threat to life,” while much of Southern California remained under a red-flag warning for extreme fire risk due to strong, dry winds.