The blazes - named Laguna, Sepulveda, Gibbel, Gilman and Border 2 - flared up on Thursday in Los Angeles, San Diego, Ventura and Riverside.

The Gilman Fire broke out in La Jolla neighborhood today, while a brush fire at the border with Mexico, has engulfed 20 acres. Newsweek's live blog is closed.

Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.D​ry, windy conditions have forced thousands to evacuate over the past few days in the Los Angeles area,

For the latest updates on the fires, follow USA TODAY's coverage for Friday, Jan. 24. SAN DIEGO − Firefighters on Thursday battled a fast-moving blaze in northern Los Angeles County that closed schools and forced thousands to flee their homes and two new fires near San Diego amid relentless Santa Ana winds and bone-dry conditions that have kept Southern California on high alert for over two weeks.

Several counties in Southern California faced "critical" fire risks this week, according to an AccuWeather forecast.

Evacuations were ordered on the Cal State Channel Islands campus Thursday morning when a brush fire broke out in Ventura County.

Southern California is grappling with a surge in wildfires, with nine active fires currently burning across the region. However, there's encouraging news as containment efforts are increasing.

The blaze has burned just over 14,000 acres near Pasadena. It is 89% contained. This fire has burned 80 acres in San Diego County and is 30% contained. Jacey Fortin The Friars fire burned a few acres in San Diego’s Mission Valley neighborhood Tuesday afternoon,

Santa Ana winds will continue whipping through Southern California through Thursday, sparking fears that progress made fighting wildfires that have scorched over 40,000 acres and left 28 dead could be reversed and more blazes could break out.

Evacuation orders issued as new blaze explodes near U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego - Border 2 fire remains uncontained after scorching 800 acres in San Diego County, as Donald Trump is expected to su

There are no major flooding risks, except a 5% to 10% chance of significant debris in burn scars for Los Angeles and Ventura County, the weather service said. Isolated heavy rain measuring up to 0.5 inches an hour is also expected.