The death toll from wildfires raging near Los Angeles has risen to 28, authorities said Tuesday, as new fires prompted evacuations near San Diego.

Firefighters are battling a new brush fire that erupted in San Diego County near the U.S.-Mexico border, as they also race to contain the Hughes Fire near Castaic Lake.

The fire threat remains critical in Southern California, where thousands of residents were under evacuation orders Wednesday as fire crews battled the out-of-control Hughes Fire near Castaic, a suburb in the foothills and mountains of northern Los Angeles County.

Continued strong winds and dry conditions on Wednesday morning rapidly spread a fire near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County and has burned through 8,096 acres.