Speaker 1: We do begin tonight with the breaking news. A new wildfire just breaking out in Los Angeles County exploding in size. This fire just north of L. A. The image is coming in right now. Take a look. 55,000 people are being told to evacuate at this hour with these dangerous Santa Ana winds back and fueling the flames. This is the huge fire spreading 30 acres a minute. Those evacuation orders now underway. Red flag warnings are up. Families racing out, driving perilously close to the flames. Students at Castaic High School running from school with darkening skies overhead. In fact, at least five schools are inside the evacuation zone tonight. Take a look at live pictures right now from our station K.A.B.C. in Los Angeles right up over the fire. You can see the thick, dark smoke with these winds expected right into the overnight hours. I-5 right there at the bottom of your screen in the beginning there. Closed in both directions at this hour. Tonight, those red flag warnings for more than 10 million people with crews already battling multiple fires. ABC's chief national correspondent Matt Gupin leading us off. He's right there on the scene tonight.

Speaker 2: Tonight, squadrons of helicopters attacking a massive new wildfire exploding just north of Los Angeles. Homes threatened tens of thousands ordered to leave now. What's really frightening about this fire is how quickly it took off. The huge fire raging out of control in Castaic, devouring 30 acres per minute, fueled by bone dry conditions and powerful Santa Ana winds. Students running out of this high school, midday skies darkening with smoke and that ominous orange glow. At least five schools so far evacuated.

Speaker 3: I was really scared because I thought I was going to get really hurt.

Speaker 4: At least 55,000 people in the evacuation zone. We got our dogs out. My niece, that's a baby that's in here. We got her out. And what you're seeing is the epic firefight from the sky. Look how low that fire. Helicopters swooping down right over that tree, dousing it right in this area. There have got to be over 100 firefighters here trying to contain this.

Speaker 2: Tony Caballero and his neighbors spending hours hosing down their homes. And I knew it was coming this way. Amber's just going to shoot over this way. This fire, just one of nearly a dozen new wildfires erupting over the past 24 hours in Southern California. Back at the scene of the Hughes fire, residents preparing for the worst.

Speaker 5: We've been dealing with this for how long? The fires? It's emotionally exhausting, physically exhausting and just tough.

Speaker 2: David, a monumental amount of resources being thrown at the Hughes fire. You can see the bulldozers over my right shoulder and over my left. The fire cresting that ridge and fire trucks racing towards it right now. And on the other side, there are dozens and dozens of additional engines. But bad news for firefighters. Wind gusts are expected to peak above 50 miles an hour tonight and persist until tomorrow morning. David.

Speaker 1: Another dangerous night ahead. Matt Guppett leading us off. Thank you.