CA Fire Photos: New Fires Rage As Terrifying Conditions Persist

LOS ANGELES, CA — As a series of new blazes forced people to flee in San Diego County this week, a massive wildfire swept through the mountains just north of Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Within two hours, the Hughes Fire in Los Angeles County charred more than 12 square miles of trees and brush, sending up plumes of dark smoke near Lake Castaic Wednesday. By 6 p.m., 31,000 people were under evacuation orders, while another 23,000 people were warned to prepare to leave at a moment's notice.

Authorities were forced to embark on the dramatic evacuation of hundreds of jail inmates, while thousands more were also forced to shelter in places as the flames approached.

Firefighting crews from the around the state were, once again, stretched thin battling multiple blazes, including a new fire in San Diego County. The Center Fire forced evacuations, threatened homes and injured at least one person Wednesday morning in the Rancho Bernardo area of San Diego.

See updated photos of the devastating wildfires in California below, and read more about the fires across the state here.

The Associated Press contributed to this post.