As the sun began to set over Lake Castaic on Wednesday, the mountains to the north and east were engulfed in flames, casting an eerie orange glow on the valley below.
The Hughes Fire, which had ignited earlier in the day north of Castaic, had grown to more than 9,000 acres by evening, forcing the evacuation of about 31,000 people.
Above, a pair of firefighting helicopters circled in steady, hurried laps between the lake and the burning hillsides. Once above the surface, it took only a minute to fill their water tanks with hoses, then drop their loads on the flames and return again.

(Wally Scalige/Los Angeles Times)
A firefighter watches as the sun illuminates the smoke from the Hughes fire in Castaic.

(Gina Ferrazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Burning embers swirl as crews work to contain the wind-driven Hughes Fire burning in Tapia Canyon.

(Gina Ferrazzi/Los Angeles Times)
A bulldozer operator drives through flames to set up a containment line on Charlie Canyon Road.

(Wally Scalige/Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters retreat from Tapia Canyon Road to contain the Hughes Fire.

(Wally Scalige/Los Angeles Times)
Residents of Castaic Lake RV Park see spray down their homes as the Hughes Fire burns in the distance.

(Gina Ferrazzi/Los Angeles Times)
A firefighting helicopter drops water on wind-driven flames at the Hughes Fire on Charlie Canyon Road.

(Wally Scalige/Los Angeles Times)
Fire crews are working on the ground to prevent the Hughes fire from spreading.

(Gina Ferrazzi/Los Angeles Times)