Wildfires fueled by heavy winds in Southern California prompt evacuations

Mountain-Fire-in-Santa-Paula-CA A firefighter prepares to douse flames while battling the wildfire in Santa Paula, CA. AP

Luke 21:25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves

Important Takeaways:

  • A fast-moving wildfire fueled by heavy winds was tearing through a community northwest of Los Angeles for a second day Thursday after destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands of residents to flee when it exploded in size in only a few hours.
  • The Mountain Fire prompted evacuation orders Wednesday for more than 10,000 people as it threatened 3,500 structures in suburban communities, ranches and agricultural areas around Camarillo, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.
  • The fire was at 0% containment late Wednesday, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.
  • Officials in several Southern California counties urged residents to be on watch for fast-spreading blazes, power outages and downed trees amid the latest round of notorious Santa Ana winds.
  • The Mountain Fire was burning in a region that has seen some of California’s most destructive fires over the years.
  • The fire grew from less than half of a square mile to more than 16 square miles in little more than five hours.
  • First responders pleaded with residents to evacuate. Deputies made contact with 14,000 people to urge them to leave as embers spread for miles and sparked new flames.
  • Meanwhile to the south, Los Angeles County Fire Department crews were scrambling to contain a wildfire near Malibu’s Broad Beach as authorities briefly shut down the Pacific Coast Highway as flames burned near multimillion-dollar properties.
  • Residents were urged to shelter in place while aircraft dropped water on the 50-acre Broad Fire.
  • By late Wednesday, the fire was at 60% containment and its forward progress was stopped, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said in a statement. Fire officials said two structures burned.
  • With predicted gusts up to 50 mph and humidity levels as low as 9%, parts of Southern California could experience conditions ripe for “extreme and life-threatening” fire behavior into Thursday, the weather service said. Wind gusts topped 61 mph on Wednesday.

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