The Hughes fire about 50 miles north of Los Angeles further taxed firefighters in the region who have managed to bring two major fires in the metropolitan area largely under control.

Firefighters worked into the night to contain a blaze that sparked and quickly spread in northern Los Angeles County, prompting renewed fears of death and destruction in a region already decimated by historic wildfires this month.

The Hughes fire ignited about 45 miles north-west of the city of Los Angeles on Wednesday morning, near Castaic Lake in a mountainous area that borders several residential areas and schools. The blaze grew to more than 9,