Evacuations were ordered on Wednesday for remote communities near a new wind-driven wildfire in mountains north of Los Angeles, as Southern California endured more dangerous winds ahead of possible rain over the weekend.

Officials ordered evacuations in the area surrounding the Hughes Fire on Wednesday morning, located near Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County.

Fire crews are battling a swiftly growing blaze dubbed the Hughes Fire burning near Interstate 5 in Castaic, in the northern part of Los Angeles County.

A fast-moving wildfire exploded to more than 3,000 acres near the Los Angeles County community of Castaic Wednesday morning, prompting mandatory evacuation orders and road closures, authorities said.

A rapidly growing fire near the Castaic jail complex sparked alarm on Wednesday morning, as attorneys urged the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to evacuate the nearly 5,000 inmates in the county’s northernmost jails.

Officials issued evacuation orders in and around the Lake Castaic area, predominantly covering state park land. Evacuation warnings – signifying a potential threat to life and property – border the city of Santa Clarita,

A new wildfire was reported today at 8:15 a.m. in Los Angeles County. Barrel Fire has been burning on private land. At this time, the containment status is unknown and the cause of the fire remains undetermined.

The Hughes Fire is burning near the Castaic Lake in the community of Castaic, just over six miles north of Six Flags Magic Mountain. The fire is around 3,400 acres as of 12:30 p.m., according to Cal Fire. Cal Fire says Dry Gulch Road and Lake Hughes Road are closed.

As people return to what's left of their fire-ravaged homes, experts are warning about possible dangers of the ash that's left behind.

Fans of "natural building" techniques, like the cob used by Pedersen, see need and opportunity. Adobe bricks made of clay, sand and straw, similar to cob, have long been used in the Southwest. More recently, hay bale houses have been constructed with walls made of insulating straw and a coating of fire-resistant plaster.

Fire victims may be taxed on money they collect, even on payments from their insurance companies. Amounts received following a wildfire are not automatically tax-free.