Southern California fire spreading ‘dangerously fast’ with zero containment

A fast-moving wildfire exploded across more than 10,000 acres Wednesday, prompting evacuations and red flag warnings in the area. National Weather Service/.

Ventura County remains under an “extremely critical” wildfire warning as firefighters struggle to gain a head start on a mountain fire that currently has 0% containment.

At least two people were transferred to hospitals due to smoke inhalation, Ventura County Fire Chief Justin Gardner said at a briefing Wednesday evening.

An exact figure for the damage is expected Thursday as the area remains too dangerous to fully assess the damage, Gardner said.

At least 14,000 people were ordered to evacuate, Ventura County Sheriff Jim Freihoff said.

The Mountain Fire is one of two wind-driven fires that have broken out in Southern California, prompting the NWS to issue a rare red flag for Los Angeles and Ventura counties warning of “extreme fire risk” from Malibu to the San Gabriel Mountains. north of Los Angeles, where winds could reach 100 mph.

“Very strong, widespread and persistent winds in Santa Ana will bring extremely critical fire weather conditions to many areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties Wednesday through Thursday,” the NWS warning said.

As of Wednesday, at least two wind-driven fires had already broken out in Southern California.

Mountain fire

A fast-burning mountain fire in Ventura County has spread to more than 10,000 acres, prompting evacuation orders, threatening structures and injuring several people, local firefighters said.

“We know we lost homes, we know our homes were damaged, and we know there were injuries, but I don’t have any numbers,” public information officer Scott Dettorre told ABC News.

“The injuries that we are aware of are civilian, we have no firefighter injuries at this time,” Dettorre said.

Extreme wind conditions prevented aircraft from assisting with the fire, according to the Ventura Fire Department, which said ground crews, helicopters and mutual aid assets are “actively working to protect lives and property.”

Evacuation orders are in effect from Walnut Avenue to Balcom Canyon Road and northbound Highway 118 to the ridge line and west to the Saticoy County Club in Ventura County, according to the release. CAL Fire.

Wide fire

A second wildfire broke out Wednesday in the Malibu area of ​​Los Angeles County, dubbed the Broad Fire, and burned at least 50 acres southwest of South Malibu Canyon Road and Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Malibu. according to the message. CAL Fire.

Local firefighters warned residents to prepare for possible evacuations, and PCH was closed in both directions between Webb Way and Corral Canyon.

Wind conditions Santa Ana

Named for the Santa Ana Canyon in Southern California, the winds of the Santa Ana region bring gusty, dry and warm winds that blow in from the desert, drying out vegetation and increasing the risk of wildfires.

Sustained Santa Ana winds will peak Wednesday, become moderate Thursday, and then taper off to light offshore winds Friday.

On Wednesday, southern California’s canyons and passes are expected to experience northeast winds of 20 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph, with higher winds expected in the most wind-prone areas.

The new surge is expected to peak Wednesday evening through Thursday morning, with northeast winds reaching 20 to 30 mph with gusts of up to 50 mph before weakening significantly by Thursday afternoon.