LOS ANGELES — Overnight water drops helped stop the spread of a huge wildfire churning through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles and firefighters battled to increase containment as winds whipped up again Thursday.

The Hughes Fire broke out late Wednesday morning and in less than a day had charred nearly 16 square miles of trees and brush near Castaic Lake, a popular recreation area about 40 miles from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that are burning for a third week.

There was no growth overnight and crews were jumping on flareups to keep the flames within containment lines, fire spokesperson Jeremy Ruiz said Thursday.

“We had helicopters dropping water until around 3 a.m. That kept it in check,” he said.

The fire remained at 14% containment. Over 50,000 people were under evacuation orders or warnings Wednesday. Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials didn’t provide new information on evacuations Thursday. There were no reports of homes or other structures burned.

Meanwhile, about 50 miles to the southwest in Ventura County, a new fire Thursday prompted the evacuation of California State University Channel Islands in Camarillo. Water-dropping helicopters were dispatched to the small Laguna Fire that erupted in hills above the campus, where about 7,000 students are enrolled. The evacuation order was later downgraded to a warning.

The region was under a red flag warning for critical fire risk through Friday, but winds were not as strong as they had been when the Palisades and Eaton fires broke out, allowing firefighting aircraft to dump tens of thousands of gallons of fire retardant.

Parts of Interstate 5 near the Hughes Fire reopened Wednesday evening.

Closer to Los Angeles, residents in the Sherman Oaks area received an evacuation warning Wednesday night after a brush fire broke out on the Sepulveda Pass near Interstate 405. Forward progress was stopped within hours and the warning was lifted.

The low humidity, dry vegetation and strong winds came as firefighters continued battling the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires. Officials remained concerned that those fires could break their containment lines as firefighters keep watching for hot spots. Containment of the Palisades Fire reached 72%, and the Eaton Fire was at 95%.

Those two fires have killed at least 28 people and destroyed more than 14,000 structures since they broke out Jan. 7.

The fires have caused at least $28 billion in insured damage and probably a little more in uninsured damage, according to Karen Clark and Company, a disaster modeling firm known for accurate post- catastrophe damage assessments.

On the heels of that assessment, California Republicans are pushing back against suggestions by President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and others that federal disaster aid for victims of wildfires should come with strings attached.

Trump plans to travel to the state Friday to see the damage.