Firefighters made progress on the more than 10,000-acre Hughes Fire Friday, which sent thousands fleeing after sparking near the Los Angeles County community of Castaic a day earlier.

The Palisades and Eaton wildfires also continue burning in the Los Angeles area, leaving parts of Southern California with devastating fire damage.

The fire threat remains critical in Southern California, where thousands of residents were under evacuation orders Wednesday as fire crews battled the out-of-control Hughes Fire near Castaic, a suburb in the foothills and mountains of northern Los Angeles County.

With parts of Los Angeles County still smoldering from wildfires, the expected rain this weekend would seem like a welcome relief. But how the rain falls could make the difference between a disaster respite or a disaster repeat.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in an update Thursday that 18 people remain missing after the Southern California wildfires. Overall, authorities received a total of 43 missing persons reports related to the Eaton and Palisades fires. Of those, 12 were located safe.

Coverage of the Hughes, Sepulveda and Laguna fires in Southern California during a fourth consecutive day of red flag fire weather warnings.

Areas where the Palisades, Franklin, Eaton, Bridge, and Hughes wildfires burned are under a flood watch, the weather service said Sunday. Fresh burn scar areas stand at greater risk of mudslides because they no longer have trees and vegetation providing support to the land, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Jacob Hinson.

Firefighters in Southern California are once again battling a wildfire, this time in Castaic in Los Angeles County, north of Los Angeles itself. Evacuation orders have been issued for the surrounding areas.

The National Weather Service said there is a 15-25% chance of thunderstorms across the region, which could bring periods of heavy rainfall that could overwhelm the burn-scar areas.

The Hughes fire seen from Magic Mountain has started north of Castaic and has exploded to more than 5,000 acres in under two hours on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, in Castaic, California. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS) (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

Rain in Southern California raises risk of toxic ash runoff in wildfire-scorched areas. Flood watches in effect, with potential mud and debris flows threatening affected regions.