Continued strong winds and dry conditions on Wednesday morning rapidly spread a fire near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County and has burned through 8,096 acres.

As winds across the Southern California area are calmer than their peak and firefighters are making progress, the threat to the fire-weary region remains with Santa Ana winds expected to continue in the coming days.

Parched Southern California endured more dangerous winds on Wednesday but could get some needed rain this weekend, dampening prospects of another round of deadly wildfires while raising the possibility of new challenges like toxic ash runoff.