A “dangerously fast” wildfire in California fuelled by strong winds has spread, destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands of people to flee – as forecasters warned of the potential for “extreme and life-threatening” blazes.
The fire in Ventura County grew from less than half of a square mile to 16 square miles in just over five hours.
“This fire is moving dangerously fast,” Ventura County fire chief Dustin Gardner said.
“Bushes are burning, grass is burning, hedgerows are burning, agricultural fields are burning, and structures are burning.”
The spread of the fire prompted evacuation orders for more than 10,000 people as it threatened 3,500 structures in suburban communities, ranches and agricultural areas around Camarillo, according to a statement from Governor Gavin Newsom.
“We’re continuing to provide state and local firefighters with the support needed to save lives and property from this aggressive blaze,” he said in a post on social media platform X.
A thick plume of smoke rose hundreds of feet into the sky on Wednesday, blanketing whole neighbourhoods and limiting visibility for firefighters and evacuees.
Ventura County fire captain Trevor Johnson described crews racing to homes threatened by the flames to save lives.
“Everything is dangerous out there,” he told reporters.
“Driving – they can’t see five feet in front of their engine – operating in and around power lines, gas lines that are on fire.
“This is as intense as it gets. The hair on the back of the firefighters’ necks I’m sure was standing up.”
Authorities said they were using all resources, including water-dropping helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft dropping fire retardant.
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Steve Taylor lost his home in Camarillo, a city of around 74,000, in the fire.
“We’re shocked at the devastation,” he told NBC Los Angeles.
“We’re not the only family that has suffered tremendous losses. It’s just stuff. But it’s the stuff that the memories are made out of.”
The area east of the Pacific coast city of Ventura will receive federal assistance after a request from Mr Newsom was granted, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.
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To the south, Los Angeles County Fire Department crews battled to contain a wildfire near Malibu’s Broad Beach.
Officials briefly shut down the Pacific Coast Highway as flames burned near multimillion-dollar properties.
With predicted gusts between 50mph (80kph) and 100mph (160kph) and humidity levels as low as 8%, parts of Southern California could experience conditions ripe for “extreme and life-threatening” fire behaviour, the National Weather Service said.
Forecasters also issued red flag warnings until Thursday from California’s central coast through the San Francisco Bay Area and into counties to the north, where strong winds are also expected.
