By David Swanson and Kanishka Singh
SANTA PAULA, California (Reuters) – Thousands of people were under evacuation orders in Southern California as fast moving wildfires engulfed homes, authorities said, with the National Weather Service issuing a red flag alert that described the situation as “particularly dangerous.”
Video shot by an eyewitness showed residents scrambling to evacuate their homes in the city of Camarillo as thick smoke blanketed the sky above. Footage also showed houses and cars completely engulfed in flames.
The Mountain Fire was spread over 14,000 acres with at least 800 firefighters assigned to handling it, the fire department in Ventura County, located northwest of Los Angeles, said. It had asked for additional helicopters to assist in its efforts to tackle the situation, it added.
At least two people were injured and several structures were damaged or destroyed by the fire in Ventura County, the fire department said on Wednesday.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said the Mountain Fire prompted evacuation orders for over 10,000 people and threatened 3,500 structures.
Schools in Ventura County, were closed through Friday due to the fires, according to the county’s office of education.
The fire expanded in size on Wednesday after powerful winds came into contact with very dry air.
Southern California Edison began shutting off power to customers in areas where its equipment was considered at high risk of sparking a wildfire, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The United States is experiencing a strong wildfire year with 8.1 million acres burned to date, compared with an annual, full-year average of around 7 million acres over the last decade, according to National Interagency Fire Center data.
California wildfires have so far this year burned more than three times as much land as last year at this time when the state’s fire season was more benign, according to Cal Fire data.
(Reporting by David Swanson in Santa Paula, Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
