Following arrests of alleged firefighter impersonators, officials say two more people have been taken into custody for using fake passes to unlawfully enter a fire evacuation zone.

After surviving the fire, many California residents are facing the secondary threat of looters taking advantage of chaotic conditions and abandoned property.

Deputies claim that the man fired shots at them as he attempted to flee from a home where they were called for reports of domestic violence.

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.

The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department launched a Looter Suppression Team for the Altadena area scorched by the Eaton fire.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is working to locate and identify dozens of missing persons from the wildfires.

Smoke quickly filled the skies over Southern California on Wednesday as a new wildfire, dubbed the Hughes Fire, rapidly grew to more than 5,000 acres, video shows.

Authorities in Los Angeles are stepping up efforts to prevent looting or theft from damaged or evacuated homes. The region has been dealing with wildfires for nearly two weeks, resulting in major evacuations.

A brush fire erupted amid powerful winds Wednesday afternoon in the Castaic area in the northern region of Los Angeles County, spreading quickly to 10,176 acres near the freeway, officials said.

Officials ordered evacuations in the area surrounding the Hughes Fire on Wednesday morning, located near Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County.

California officials will reopen some Palisades Fire evacuation zones, as law enforcement ramps up security to address looting.