By Maya Morales and Katherine Quezada  Signal Staff Writers  Most evacuation orders were downgraded or lifted Thursday morning as L.A. County and Angeles National Forest Service firefighters were mopping up their battle against the Hughes Fire, but some evacuees said they were unsure whether it was immediately OK to go back to their homes.   So, some continued to wait. Officials with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station said the uncertainty would soon dissipate, as the lifting of evacuation orders was being relayed to deputies who began breaking down their road closures.  Following an eventful night, Valencia resident Brian Mansur said he had been told that his evacuation zone downgraded from an order to a warning.   “Now that it is yellow, meaning it went from evacuation order to warning, can we go home? I don’t know and I’m not going to do it until I get an answer,” he said in an interview Thursday at the American Red Cross shelter that had been established the previous day at College of the Canyons as the Hughes Fire raged in the hills near Castaic.   Mansur added that he was concerned he would get back home and have to leave again suddenly or that there would be limited law enforcement presence in the area in case of looters.   He wanted to be sure it would be safe to return with his family.   Castaic resident Cheryl Laufrenberg said her zone also had been downgraded to an evacuation warning, but she felt uneasy about returning home being that she was close to the fire.   “I’ve been living in my house in Castaic since 1999, and I have never experienced a fire like this one,” said Laufrenberg.   She added that when she and her daughters had to evacuate, they only left with the clothes they had on and a jacket because they thought they would be back in a couple hours.   Evacuees were able to come to the American Red Cross’ Disaster Relief site at College of the Canyons’ gym Wednesday night to seek food and shelter on Jan. 22, 2025. Habeba Mostafa/ The Signal Laufrenberg said she didn’t want to travel all the way back home only to be turned away again. She added that she would rather wait a couple hours to make sure everything was safe to return.   In the aftermath of a chaotic night, Castaic was still filled with lingering smoke and ash on Thursday morning.   At the intersection of The Old Road and Lake Hughes Road, a few dozen people gathered, some of them frustrated that they weren’t yet allowed to go back home.  Many of the evacuees were parked right across the street near the Jack in the Box waiting for authorities, including the National Guard, to open the roads again.   Sonia Gutierrez remained calm as the rest of the crowd bombarded law enforcement with questions. She was waiting with her husband and teenaged son.   “I was at work when we were told to evacuate,” she said in Spanish. “I only took two things from the house and then we had to leave.”   Gutierrez and her family moved to Castaic from North Hollywood just three months ago and she was terrified of what she and her family experienced due to the Hughes Fire.   As she recalled the moments of when they had to evacuate, she wept because of how scared she was for her home, which is located near Castaic Lake, she said.   “I was scared for my house, I was scared for my things. But glory to God and the firefighters,” Gutierrez said as she let out a sigh of relief.  Moments after, authorities reopened the street, and the group of frustrated residents quickly ran to their cars and made their way home.   Watch Sgt. Sherry Clark with the SCV Sheriff’s Station said that as the evacuation orders lift and are downgraded, deputies will open roads back up and there will no longer be looter suppression patrol.   She added that if a resident suspected someone of trying to loot a property, they should call the station and give them information about the suspect.   She said the only areas residents were not allowed to return to, as of Thursday afternoon, were Charlie Canyon and Bitter Canyon.  Mansur and Laufrenberg both said they were grateful for the American Red Cross shelter set up at the east gym on the Valencia campus of COC.   “I’ve been very impressed with the Red Cross and everybody else here helping. I feel like I’m in the Olympic Village, I do,” said Mansur.   He said he was immediately greeted with smiles and directed to where he could check in. They gave a cot and a disaster relief pack that had toiletries, and the World Central Kitchen was ready to with hot meals for any evacuees coming by.   Laufrenberg said she appreciated how well organized the Red Cross shelter was and how well they handled everyone who came in.   Julie Swisher, liaison for the American Red Cross, said that the shelter had a little over 80 people stay the night, and more who came through to get resources before they left.   “We’ve had people just come by to get basic hygiene products, blankets, resources, and water,” said Swisher. “A lot of the times, people stay with family and friends, it’s safe, it’s comfortable and that kind of sense of security is really important during times when things are very concerned.”  She added that if people did leave the shelter, which they usually do in the morning, they can always come back and stay again.   Swisher said the shelter would stay open until the L.A. County sheriff’s and fire departments indicate that it is no longer needed. She added that she advises all residents in evacuation warning or order zones to remain vigilant of their surroundings and keep up with local updates.   The post Evacuation orders lifted, uncertainty persists   appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.