Moorpark Fire Burns More Than 8,800 Acres, Injures Several in Ventura County – WATCH LIVE

MOORPARK, California — Hundreds of residents fled a forest fire Ventura County of more than 8,800 acres on Wednesday as Southern California was buffeted by powerful winds as forecasters warned of the potential for “extreme and life-threatening” fires.

The rapidly expanding Mountain fire led to evacuation orders for several communities in an agricultural area near Moorpark and Santa Paula.

Gus Garcia, owner of a ranch south of the fire, said he is waiting to see if conditions will change before deciding whether to evacuate his horses and livestock. At around 12.30pm his animals were still safe and he tried to stay out of the way while others got their livestock out.

His ranch is surrounded by others with horses and alpacas, and Garcia said his neighbors in the canyon didn’t seem panicked. “The horse community is preparing for this because it’s always possible here,” he said.

Andrew Dowd, spokesman for the provincial fire department, said he had no details on how many buildings were damaged. “A number of houses have been affected by fire,” he said. “It’s a fast-moving fire.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said in a statement on the social platform

The Mountain fire was mapped at just under 250 hectares around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, and by 1:30 p.m. it had been mapped at 8,885 hectares.

The extreme wind conditions caused fixed-wing aircraft to remain on the ground due to “very dangerous” conditions caused by gusts of more than 60 miles per hour, weather service meteorologist Bryan Lewis said. He said pilots could encounter turbulence that could cause a plane to crash, and limited visibility due to the huge plume of smoke.

Several people were injured and taken to hospitals, the Ventura County Fire Department said. However, it was not immediately clear how they were injured. The fire crossed State Route 118 and spread into the Camarillo Heights neighborhood, prompting additional evacuations.

Details on evacuation zones and road closures are available at www.vcemergency.com. An information hotline was established at (805) 465-6650.

Meanwhile, the wind also fueled a fast-moving wildfire near multimillion-dollar properties along Malibu’s Pacific Coast Highway. The Los Angeles County Fire Department worked to contain the wildfire near Malibu’s Broad Beach as authorities closed the famed coastal highway. Residents were urged to shelter in place as planes dropped water on the 50-acre Broad Fire. By 12:30, 15% was under control and forward progress stopped. Fire officials said two buildings were on fire.

As a precaution, power was cut off to tens of thousands of people across the state.

The National Weather Service office for Los Angeles has updated its red flag warning for increased fire danger with the rare “particularly hazardous situation” label.

With forecast wind gusts between 50 and 100 miles per hour and humidity as low as 8%, parts of Southern California could experience conditions ripe for “extreme and life-threatening” fire behavior through Thursday, the weather service said.

Officials in several counties urged residents to be on the lookout for fast-spreading fires, power outages and downed trees amid the latest round of infamous Santa Ana winds.

A map of fires in California right now:

Our interactive map below tracks where fires are burning across California and what percentage they are under control. Click on a fire icon to see more details about the wildfire in that area.

“Those in canyon, mountain and foothill communities should be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice,” the LA County Office of Emergency Management said on . .

In Orange County, fire officials said ash and debris were kicked up by the airport fire, which tore through the area earlier this year due to high winds, but no active fires were reported there Wednesday. Gusty winds tore through coastal cities, toppling tree branches and toppling large garbage bins.

Southern California Edison also preemptively shut off power to more than 46,000 customers, including more than 12,000 in Los Angeles County on Wednesday. Power shutoffs are being considered for more than 200,000 customers because of the risk, the company said on its website.

Utilities in California have begun turning off equipment during high winds and extreme fire danger, after a series of massive and deadly wildfires in recent years were sparked by power lines and other infrastructure.

The Broad Fire burned in the same area where the 2018 Woolsey Fire killed three people and destroyed 1,600 homes. That fire was caused by Edison equipment that scorched dry grasslands and burned across the Santa Monica Mountains all the way to the Malibu coast.