A fast-moving wildfire broke out in Southern California on Wednesday, destroying homes and forcing firefighters to safely evacuate residents from their homes, officials said.
The Ventura County wildfire prompted evacuation orders and grew to more than 14,000 acres, fueled by what fire officials called a significant wind event in Santa Ana.
Firefighters at the scene of the wildfire between Moorpark and Somis “faced a tough exchange of gunfire,” Ventura County Fire Capt. Trevor Johnson said.
“Firefighters immediately engaged in extracting people from the home and saving lives,” Johnson said.
The fire was moving so quickly that firefighters used fire trucks to remove residents from the area due to the danger.
The fire department did not know how many buildings were destroyed.
The fire broke out at 8:51 a.m. local time, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire. As of Wednesday afternoon, the content was 0%, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
The Ventura County Fire Department said strong winds prevented fixed-wing aircraft from fighting the fire.
A fire department spokesperson said several people were injured and taken to hospital. The fire affected the Camarillo Heights area near Camarillo, the department said.
Video from a news helicopter showed homes destroyed in one residential area and firefighters trying to extinguish a fire in another residential area. The fire continued to burn Wednesday night, with other homes also burning in large areas, according to the video.
The retired firefighter and his two sons, who live in Camarillo Heights, were using fire hoses to wet the property and stop localized fires caused by embers carried by strong winds.
In a live interview with NBC Los Angeles from the scene, he described the day as “hell.” “It’s been non-stop since it started this morning. We’re just chasing the flames. The wind direction is just swirling.”
According to the California Department of Transportation, the fire spread to State Route 118, causing a portion of the highway to be closed due to fire burning on both sides of the highway. The highway was closed from Santa Clara Avenue to Tierrarejada Avenue.
The smoke is also blocking visibility and slowing traffic on busy Route 101 south of the state highway, the ministry said in a news release.
Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said strong winds caused the blaze to ignite 3.5 miles from the original location.
Mr Gardner said: “Brush is on fire, grass is on fire, hedgerows are on fire, farmland is on fire, structures are on fire. This fire is moving dangerously fast.”
Ventura County Sheriff James Freihoff said authorities had made more than 14,000 contacts with area residents because of the fire and urged people to stay away from the area.
Johnson, director of the Ventura County Fire Department, said at a news conference that he did not have details on the injuries, but said the fire was a difficult situation for firefighters.
“Everything is dangerous outside,” he said. “You’re driving without being able to see five feet in front of the engine, and you’re driving in and around power lines and gas lines that are on fire.”
The fire department said it was too dangerous to send in fire inspectors to determine the extent of the destruction Wednesday, but officials expect to know how many structures were lost by Thursday.
Cal Fire, which has established a wildfire incident management team, said on its website that the fire had burned 14,148 acres as of late Wednesday.
The National Weather Service said Wednesday that wind gusts of about 90 mph are creating an extreme fire danger. Wind gusts of up to 54 mph were recorded near the fire site.
Cameras from the University of California, San Diego’s ALERT California public safety program captured footage of the fire spreading.
Steve Taylor lost his home in Camarillo, a city of about 74,000 people, to a fire.
“We are shocked by the devastation. We are not the only family who has suffered a tremendous loss,” he told NBC Los Angeles. “It’s just something. But it’s something that makes memories.”
Another wildfire broke out in Malibu, near Los Angeles, on Wednesday, prompting a shelter-in-place order that was later lifted.
The Broad Fire, which had burned about 33 acres, had stopped advancing and firefighters were working to clean it up late Wednesday afternoon, Malibu city government said.
There were no injuries, but three homes were damaged in the fire, which broke out around 9 a.m. near Pacific Coast Highway, Mayor Doug Stewart said.
Santa Ana winds are a weather phenomenon in California that occurs when air from desert regions flows from east to west toward the coast and passes over the mountains.
On Wednesday, wind gusts of 104 mph were recorded at Camarillo’s airport, gusts of 126 mph were recorded in parts of the western Santa Monica Mountains, and wind gusts of 123 mph and 85 mph were recorded in the San Gabriel Mountains, according to the National Weather Service. There was a gust of wind.
