Fire breaks out in Malibu; Houses evacuated

Dozens of Southern California homes burned and thousands of residents were forced to flee as a fast-moving wildfire exploded in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles.

A rare “Extremely Hazardous Situation” red flag warning was issued by the National Weather Service due to the windy, dry conditions that allowed multiple wildfires to spread quickly. Here’s the latest on two notable fires burning in the region:

Mountain fire explodes in size

The Ventura County fire had burned more than 30 square miles of land as of Thursday afternoon, according to CalFire. The fire multiplied from a much smaller fire in a few hours after it was started on Wednesday morning. Baptized to Mountain fireit prompted a major response from firefighters who requested more helicopters to help drop water on the blaze near the Camarillo Heights area.

Gov. Gavin Newsom warned Wednesday that up to 3,500 suburbs were at risk. More than 10,000 residents were forced to evacuate as the fire grew, and it remained 0% contained.

“This is as intense as it gets. The hair on the back of the firefighters’ necks, I’m sure, stood up,” Ventura County Fire Capt. Trevor Johnson told reporters Wednesday afternoon.

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Due to the violent gusts that topped 50 mph, the planes were unable to assist. Two people suffered apparent smoke inhalation and were taken to hospitals Wednesday, fire officials said. No firefighters reported significant injuries.

The wildfire burned in a region that has seen some of California’s most destructive fires over the years. A thick plume of smoke rose hundreds of meters into the sky Wednesday, covering entire neighborhoods and limiting visibility for firefighters and evacuees. Aerial television footage showed flames consuming homes as embers whipped along blocks of flats.

The Broad Fire is burning near Malibu

Down the coast, another fire was burning near Malibu, but it was much smaller and firefighters appeared to have it under control.

named Wide Firethe fire forced some in Malibu to leave their homes and others were told to shelter in place. It burned 50 acres near Malibu Canyon Road and Pacific Coast Highway Wednesday morning.

Two buildings were on fireaccording to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Nearby Pepperdine University said in a social media post that campuses were not threatened and classes resumed Wednesday morning.

Power was cut to nearly 70,000 customers in five counties due to the increased risk of wildfires, Southern California Edison said Thursday. More than 250,000 customers were at risk of power outages due to the wildfire, the company said.

Utilities in California began turning off equipment under strong winds and extreme fire hazard after a number of massive and deadly wildfires in recent years were sparked by power lines and other infrastructure.

Wednesday’s wildfires burned in the same areas of other recent destructive infernos, including 2018 Woolsey Firewhich killed three people and destroyed 1,600 homes near Los Angeles, and the Thomas Fire in 2017, which burned more than a thousand homes and other structures in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Edison in Southern California has paid tens of millions of dollars to settle claims after its equipment was blamed for both fires.

The NWS said a red flag warning, which indicates high fire danger conditions, will remain in effect until at least Friday morning in the Los Angeles area. Winds were expected to drop significantly Thursday night, but humidity levels will remain critically low, forecasters said.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.