LOS ANGELES >> Evacuation orders were lifted Thursday for tens of thousands of people as firefighters with air support slowed the spread of a huge wildfire churning through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles where dangerous winds gained strength again.

The Hughes Fire broke out late Wednesday morning and in less than a day had charred nearly 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) 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 morning.

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

The fire remained at 14% containment. Nearly 54,000 residents in the Castaic area were still under evacuation warnings, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Thursday. There were no reports of homes or other structures burned.

Meanwhile, two new fires were reported Thursday in the San Diego area. Evacuations were ordered after the Gilman Fire erupted in brush near densely populated neighborhoods north of downtown in La Jolla, not far from the UC San Diego School of Medicine campus. Southeast of downtown, the Border Fire was quickly spreading through a mountainous area of the Otay Mountain Wilderness.

And in Ventura County, a new fire briefly prompted the evacuation of California State University Channel Islands in Camarillo. Water-dropping helicopters made quick progress against the 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.

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

Parts of Interstate 5 near the Hughes Fire, which had been closed, reopened Wednesday evening.

The low humidity, bone-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 continue 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.