Hundreds of firefighters in California are battling a fast-moving fire that broke out on Wednesday and has spread to more than 14,000 acres (5,665 hectares), prompting evacuations.
The fire, known as the Wildfire, ignited Wednesday morning in Ventura County near the city of Camarillo.
As of Thursday morning, the area had expanded to 14,187 acres and containment was currently 0%. At least 800 firefighters are working to contain the blaze using ground resources and helicopters, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.
Local authorities said on Wednesday that more than 14,000 people had been told to evacuate. Evacuation orders remained in effect Thursday.
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for parts of southwestern California, indicating severe fire weather conditions are present or expected to occur soon.
On Wednesday, the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles office updated the danger signals and added a rare “particularly hazardous situation” label.
A red flag warning will remain in effect in most areas through much of Thursday and into Friday morning, including the Inland Empire, coastal slopes in San Bernardino County and mountains in San Diego and Riverside counties.
High wind warnings and smoke warnings are in effect in some areas on Thursday.
The fire was ignited by strong Santa Ana winds coming into contact with very dry air, according to weather officials and local authorities.
Weather experts say strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures could lead to extreme fire behavior.
On Wednesday, wind gusts reached 85 mph (187 km/h) in some areas and humidity was as low as 8% in some areas.
As of Thursday morning, the weather service reported relative humidity as low as 10 percent and wind gusts reaching 60 mph in some areas.
Winds are expected to subside later Thursday, but until then critical fire conditions remain.
“Any fire that occurs has the potential to spread quickly,” the National Weather Service said Thursday morning.
Ventura County Fire Department officials said Wednesday afternoon they were aware that many structures were damaged or destroyed in the fire, but said a more accurate assessment of the damage would be done once it was safe.
The fire has destroyed dozens of homes, and fire officials also reported that at least two people were taken to the hospital for possible smoke inhalation, the Associated Press reported.
“Our firefighters are doing heroic things right now,” Ventura County Fire Chief Trevor Johnson said Wednesday.
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Due to high fire danger, Southern California Edison temporarily shut off power to thousands of customers as part of its public safety shutoff plan to prevent the electrical system from becoming a source of fire.
Likewise, Pacific Gas and Electric cut power to thousands of accounts across the state in an attempt to limit fire risk.
As of Thursday morning, about 3,000 customers were without power in Ventura County and just over 500 in Los Angeles County, according to poweroutage.us.
Ventura County Schools also announced that all schools in the area will be closed Thursday and Friday.
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that the state has received federal assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help ensure Ventura County receives critical resources.
“This is a dangerous fire that is spreading rapidly and threatening lives,” Newsom said. “State resources have been mobilized to protect communities, and federal support from the Biden-Harris administration will provide relief to state and local firefighters.” lives and property to help them continue to fight this violent fire.”
The wildfires aren’t the only fires burning in Southern California this week.
Another fire called the Broad Fire broke out in the Malibu area of Los Angeles County on Wednesday, according to local officials. As of Wednesday evening, it had expanded to 50 acres and 15% of the acreage was contained, with progress halted.
Wildfires across California have burned more than 1,015,000 acres this year, compared with 332,822 acres burned this time last year, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
County officials have scheduled the next news conference for 10 a.m. local time, 1 p.m. ET.
