Residents near a large, fast-moving wildfire north of Los Angeles were ordered to undergo additional evacuations as dry Southern California experienced another round of dangerous winds ahead of possible rain over the weekend.

The Hughes Fire broke out late Wednesday morning and quickly burned nearly 3,500 acres, or 8 square miles (21 square kilometers) of trees and brush about 40 miles (40 miles) from Castaic Lake. Huge plumes of black smoke rose near the popular recreational area. 64 kilometers), the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires are in their third week of burning.

The off-ramp for Interstate 5, a north-south artery, was closed as flames spread along mountaintops and into rugged canyons. Crews on the ground and from water planes tried to prevent the wind-driven blaze from spreading southward into the more populous foothill community of Castaic, home to about 18,000 people. The California Highway Patrol said at least three schools had been evacuated as a precaution.

The fire raged north of a large county jail complex, and as of Wednesday afternoon, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department said the agency was evacuating 459 incarcerated people from the Peaches Detention Center to the North County Correctional Facility next door.

Advocates for detainees have been urging the county to evacuate the complex, home to thousands of people, because they fear there won't be enough buses to get people out quickly. A sheriff's spokesman did not immediately comment on whether the department was considering mass evacuations to other locations.

Meanwhile, to the south, Los Angeles officials were preparing for possible rain, even as some residents were allowed to return to the scorched Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas. Gusty conditions are expected to continue into Thursday.

"We're going to see another round of serious fires in Southern California," National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Hall said Wednesday morning. "At this point, it sounds like a broken record."

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order to speed up cleanup of burned areas and mitigate the environmental impact of fire-related pollutants. She ordered crews to clear vegetation, stabilize hillsides and shore up roads ahead of possible rain.

Los Angeles County supervisors also approved an emergency motion to install flood control infrastructure and expedite sediment removal in fire-affected areas.

Experts warn toxic threats could be lurking in disaster zones. Ashes from homes and cars can contain residue from a variety of potentially hazardous materials, including lead, battery acid, arsenic and carcinogens found in plastics used in construction. Meanwhile, Joshua West, a professor of earth sciences at the University of Southern California, told The Guardian last week that wildfires leave landscapes vulnerable to rapid erosion during heavy rains, increasing the risk of mudslides. For example, in January 2018, storms hit an area of ​​Montecito that had burned just weeks earlier, triggering mudslides that killed 23 people.

To prevent such a disaster, Los Angeles County supervisors approved an emergency motion to install flood control infrastructure and expedite the removal of sediment from fire-affected areas.

Weather service meteorologist Ryan Kittell said Southern California is expected to have a 60-80 percent chance of light rain starting Saturday, with most areas unlikely to receive more than a third of an inch (0.8 centimeters). Los Angeles office. However, localized thunderstorms could cause drops of up to an inch, which would be a worst-case scenario if there was enough water flow on scorched hillsides to trigger debris.

"But even if it doesn't rain this time, it could be a good practice for these communities because this is going to be a threat that they have to deal with for months or years," Kittle said.

Firefighters are filling sandbags in the community.

Winds peaked at 60 mph (97 kph) in many areas Tuesday afternoon and have eased, but gusty conditions are expected to remain. A red flag warning of severe fire risk for Los Angeles and Ventura counties has been extended until 8 p.m. Thursday.

"What we're worried about is the next fire, the next spark that starts the next wildfire," said David Acuna, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). Another concern is that still Two major fires burning, the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, may breach containment lines as firefighters continue to search for hot spots.

Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish several small blazes in Los Angeles and San Diego counties with fire trucks and water droppers strategically deployed, officials said.

Evacuation orders for the Monk Fire and Lilac Fire that broke out near a San Diego mall and threatened some structures and burned dry brush have been partially lifted on Tuesday, Cal Fire said. Nearby crews had full control of the Parra blaze, another small fire. The Clay Fire in Riverside was 40 percent contained Tuesday night and evacuation orders were lifted.

Southern California Edison preemptively cut power to more than 60,000 customers in five counties on Tuesday to prevent high winds from knocking down electrical equipment and sparking new fires; power was later restored in most areas. The utility is considering precautionary outages to an additional 187,000 customers on Wednesday.

Authorities urge residents to review evacuation plans, prepare emergency kits, watch for fires and report them quickly.

Bass also warned that winds could carry ash and advised Angelenos to visit the city's website to learn how to protect themselves from toxic air during the recent Santa Ana wind event.

Humidity is low, vegetation is extremely dry and winds are strong as firefighters continue to battle the Palisades and Eaton fires. The fire has killed at least 28 people and destroyed more than 14,000 buildings since it broke out on January 7. The Palisades Fire is 68% contained, and the Eaton Fire is 91% contained.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating the cause of the fire but has not yet released any findings.

People who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire have filed multiple lawsuits alleging that Southern California Edison equipment caused the blazes. On Tuesday, a judge in one of the lawsuits ordered the utility to provide data on circuits in the area where the fire started.

Questions have also emerged about why some residents of Altadena, where most of the deaths occurred, did not receive evacuation warnings for so long.

Donald Trump criticized the response to the wildfires in his inaugural address on Monday and said he would travel to Los Angeles on Friday.