It has burned 23,448 acres after being active for 23 days. A crew of 800 firefighters has been working on site and they managed to contain 98% of the fire by Thursday evening. The

At least 29 people are believed to be dead and more than a dozen others remain unaccounted for as multiple wildfires rage across Southern California.

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

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.

Southern California is battling the Hughes Fire, which broke out around 11 a.m. near Lake Hughes Road, close to the 5 Freeway and Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County.

Law enforcement and prosecutors are geared up for scammers who are expected to exploit relief for victims of the Palisades and Eaton fires.

The California fires have caused at least ... is very different from the situation we were in 16 days ago," Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said Wednesday evening.

After a weekend of reprieve allowing fire teams to continue making progress battling the deadly infernos burning in Los Angeles County, Southern California now faces another round of fire-fueling Santa Ana Winds Monday.

Wildfires have forced the closure of Los Angeles schools, displacing over 700,000 students and staff. Experts warn of lasting mental health impacts and the need for long-term recovery plans.

Wildfires are endemic to California and natives used fire to shape the land. Orange County and California must learn from the wildfires and decades of government failure in Los Angeles County, and prevent the next disaster.

Thousands of firefighters have been battling wildfires across 45 square miles of densely populated Los Angeles County. The two largest fires, the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades and the Eaton Fire near Pasadena, remain active. One of the latest, the Hughes Fire in the Castaic area, has prompted evacuation orders for tens of thousands of people.

Jan. 22, 10:30 a.m. PST Cal Fire data marked the Palisades Fire at 68% containment and the Eaton Fire at 91% containment, listing no other active fires in Los Angeles as a red flag warning is in effect for much the region until Friday evening.