The Hughes fire has burned through 3,407 acres since it started late Wednesday morning, according to local officials.

Rainfall could cause mudslides in area burned by wildfires, with officials warning residents of toxic material from debris and ash.

The Angeles National Forest and the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument are closed to the public through Jan. 31 because of critical fire danger despite the recent rainfall, officials announced Monday.

Rain falling on Southern California is expected to aid firefighters mopping up multiple wildfires. But potentially heavy downpours on charred hillsides could bring new troubles such as toxic ash runoff.

Multiple fires raging across the Los Angeles area will cost insurers as much as $30 billion, Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs estimated in a report released this week. After accounting for non-insured damages, the total costs will balloon to $40 billion, the report said.

The Hughes Fire, reported shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday near Castaic Lake, prompted evacuations north of Los Angeles. The map above shows the mandatory evacuation area in red and the approximate fire perimeter as a black line.

The Clay Fire has sparked in Riverside County on Tuesday night as wildfires continue to plague Southern California.

As winds across the Southern California area are calmer than their peak and firefighters are making progress, the threat to the fire-weary region remains with Santa Ana winds expected to continue in the coming days.

A second day of windy and dry conditions is in store for Southern California. Winds have picked up and are expected to continue through Tuesday morning, raising the risk of new wildfires sparking.

Santa Ana winds will continue whipping through Southern California through Thursday, sparking fears that progress made fighting wildfires that have scorched over 40,000 acres and left 28 dead could be reversed and more blazes could break out.

There is no extension to the Evacuation Warning zone at this time," wrote the Los ... California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "We had a very robust ground and air response," said LA ...

Parched Southern California was forecast to face more dangerous winds on Wednesday but could get some needed rain this weekend, dampening prospects of another round of deadly wildfires while raising the possibility of challenges like toxic ash runoff.