California university told to evacuate immediately as Laguna Fire ignites in Ventura County

Fast Facts:

• Fires continue to rage across Southern California, with Hughes Fire exploding to more than 10,000 acres in hours.
• Critical fire conditions persist across the region, with Fire Weather Warnings in effect through Friday.
• Beneficial rain is on the way but could trigger mudslides in burn-scar areas.

LOS ANGELES – Firefighters in Southern California have been conducting more fierce wildfire fights as crews race to contain and extinguish several fires that broke out on Wednesday and Thursday.

The most recent fire, the Laguna Fire, was reported near the community of Camarillo in Ventura County on Thursday morning.

According to the Ventura County Fire Department, the Laguna Fire ignited near Laguna Road in the Oxnard plains, and crews arriving at the scene said the blaze was burning in brush and spreading rapidly.

Officials said firefighters are aggressively attacking the flames from the ground and the air, with additional crews assessing and mitigating any potential threats in the immediate area.

Because of the threat, Cal State University Channel Islands has ordered the immediate evacuation of its campus.

"A fire has been reported on Round Mountain/Sat’wiwa and the campus has been ordered to evacuate," officials said in an emergency alert. "Please proceed to evacuate the campus and University Glen/Ancapa Canyon immediately."

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Officials with CAL FIRE said the Sepulveda Fire broke out near the heavily traveled 405 Freeway in the area of North Sepulveda Boulevard and Getty Center Drive near Sherman Oaks.

Crews on the ground and in the air worked tirelessly to get that fire under control. A few hours later, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) announced that all forward progress on the Sepulveda Fire had been stopped, and all evacuation warnings had been lifted.

No evacuation orders were announced, but some areas that had been placed under an evacuation warning had previously been impacted by the still-burning Palisades Fire.

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The LAFD said no structures had been damaged, and no injuries were reported.

Firefighters remained on the scene through Wednesday night to monitor the area, and traffic on the 405 Freeway was impacted as crews worked alongside the freeway.

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Hughes Fire triggers evacuation warnings

Firefighters were already hard at work trying to contain and extinguish the rapidly spreading Hughes Fire before the Sepulveda Fire broke out amid gusty Santa Ana winds that were continuing to plague Southern California.

The Hughes Fire exploded in size on Wednesday near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County, swelling to more than 10,000 acres by early Thursday morning. At one point, while the inferno was raging on Wednesday, it was estimated that more than 30 acres were being consumed by flames every minute.

WATCH: HUGHES FIRE INFERNO CONSUMES HILLS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY

More than 50,000 residents across the region were placed on alert, with several schools being located within the evacuation zone surrounding the fire. Officials in Ventura County said some evacuation orders had been downgraded to evacuation warnings, while many other evacuation warnings had been lifted.

Officials said students at North Lake Elementary School were evacuated to the Castaic Sports Complex, while all students at Castaic Middle School and Castaic Elementary School were evacuated to a location within Hasley Canyon.

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The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it was ready to keep inmates safe at the Pitchess Detention Center as the Hughes Fire raged nearby. In a Facebook post, the sheriff's department said they had several vehicles on standby should they be needed for inmate evacuations.

"We are working closely with Los Angeles County Fire to ensure the employees, and incarcerated population on the property remain safe," officials said.

Sheriff's department officials told FOX Weather that as of Wednesday afternoon, 476 inmates had been transferred from the South Facility to the North County Correctional Facility, which sits on the same jail campus.

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Several major roadways that connect the Bakersfield area to the Los Angeles metro were temporarily shut down, including the busy Interstate 5 through the "Grapevine."

On Thursday morning, the California Highway Patrol said that I-5 northbound and southbound were reopened as fire crews worked to keep the flames from threatening the freeway.

"Before traveling through Grapevine, check to ensure all lanes are still open," CHP warned. "Be informed, be prepared!"

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Aerial video showed flames approaching I-5 near Castaic Lake, north of Santa Clarita, as winds pushed the blaze towards the south and west.

The area is well known for being home to Six Flags Magic Mountain, but the park appeared to be well outside of the initial fire zone.

In a Thursday update, fire officials said firefighters aggressively fought the flames and were challenged by extreme fire behavior, terrain and weather.

Crews, however, were able to keep the fire from spreading to Elderberry Canyon, Castaic Hydroelectric Power Plant and surrounding communities.

Their plan for Thursday was to continue focusing on establishing and holding containment lines to hold it within its current footprint.

More crews are expected to be staged within Castaic to prevent additional fire spread.

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Rain on the way but comes with risks

The National Weather Service in Los Angeles said dangerous fire weather conditions will persist across the region through Friday, and Fire Weather Warnings have been issued as a result.

Forecasters say fuels remain extremely dry and "ready to burn" with Thursday being the period of greatest concern.

Peak wind gusts of 30-55 mph will be common over much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with locally higher gusts of 50-65 mph in the mountains.

Low relative humidity will also persist with minimums under 10% over much of the area.

The FOX Forecast Center said an upper-level disturbance will likely swing into the region from the Pacific Ocean this weekend, bringing the first widespread rain in months.

The rain and mountain snow will begin on Saturday and peak in coverage on Sunday before winding down on Monday.

About a half-inch of rain may fall in the lower elevations, and multiple inches of snow is expected above 4,000 feet.

In the short term, the rain will benefit firefighters who are still battling wildfires in the Los Angeles area, but much more rain is needed.

And the rain, while beneficial, does present risks.

There is a risk of mudslides within burn-scar areas in Southern California, and officials warned that charred hillsides are in danger of giving way even if there isn't rain. 

The burned landscape, littered with broken water mains, and the influx of water from firefighting efforts have destabilized hillsides in the region.