Law enforcement and prosecutors are geared up for scammers who are expected to exploit relief for victims of the Palisades and Eaton fires.

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

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in an update Thursday that 18 people remain missing after the Southern California wildfires. Overall, authorities received a total of 43 missing persons reports related to the Eaton and Palisades fires. Of those, 12 were located safe.

The Hughes Fire near Castaic, north of Los Angeles, was 24% contained on Thursday afternoon, according to Cal Fire.

Eaton Fire initially started 6:18 p.m. Jan. 7 in Los Angeles County. Since its discovery 16 days ago, it has burned 14,021 acres. A fire crew of 1,837 has been working on site and, as of Thursday morning, they managed to contain 95% of the fire. However, investigations into the cause are ongoing.

As parts of fire-ravaged Southern California begin to recover, Los Angeles County is sending out mental health workers to help fire victims heal from trauma.

Real estate mogul Mauricio Umansky said California needs to work with the federal government in order to help Los Angeles rebuild from the devastating wildfires.

Southern California is battling the Hughes Fire, which broke out around 11 a.m. near Lake Hughes Road, close to the 5 Freeway and Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Evacuation orders were lifted Thursday for tens of thousands as firefighters with air support slowed the spread of a huge wildfire churning through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles, but new blazes erupted in San Diego County, briefly triggering more evacuations.

Some behaviors, like yawning and scratching, are socially contagious. If one person does it, others are likely to follow suit. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that socially contagious behavior is hardwired in the brain.

Some schools destroyed years ago in the Sonoma and Butte county fires are just now reopening. The long, expensive process of rebuilding in LA may eat up much of the money voters approved in November for school repairs statewide.

According to AccuWeather, a storm sliding south along the California coast from Friday to Sunday could bring some much-needed rainfall.