Parts of Southern California are still facing "elevated to brief "critical conditions" into Thursday night as a fast-moving wildfire that forced thousands in Malibu to evacuate continues to grow.Threat level: Red Flag warnings ended as powerful Santa Ana winds eased on Wednesday afternoon,

Southern California is bracing for another round of strong, potentially dangerous Santa Ana winds just over a month after a similar wind event helped fuel the Mountain Fire, which scorched nearly 20,000 acres in Ventura County and sent residents scrambling for safety as flames closed in.

Mass evacuations have been ordered and Pepperdine University is under shelter-in-place orders as a wildfire exploded in Malibu overnight. In the late-night hours of December 9, firefighters were called to a small brush fire, but with Santa Ana winds whipping overnight, the blaze quickly grew into a raging inferno that's consumed over 2,200 acres.