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By MARCIO SANCHEZ,
CHRISTOPHER WEBER and STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press
MOORPARK, Calif. (AP) -- California was lashed by powerful winds Wednesday that fed a fast-moving wildfire that destroyed homes and forced hundreds of residents to flee while another fire burned near multimillion-dollar properties along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu as forecasters warned of the potential for "extreme and life-threatening" blazes.
Northwest of Los Angeles, the Mountain Fire exploded in size and prompted evacuation orders for suburban communities, ranches and agricultural areas near Santa Paula in southern Ventura County. A thick plume of smoke rose hundreds of feet into the sky, blanketing whole neighborhoods and limiting visibility for firefighters and evacuees.
At around 9:15 a.m. the blaze was mapped at just under 250 acres (100 hectares), and by 1:45 p.m. it was more than 35 times larger at over 14 square miles (36 square kilometers).
The erratic winds grounded fixed-wing aircraft because of "very dangerous" conditions caused by gusts topping 61 mph (98 kph), said weather service meteorologist Bryan Lewis. He said pilots could encounter turbulence capable of bringing a plane down, as well limited visibility from the smoke. Water-dropping helicopters were still flying.
Several people were injured and taken to hospitals, the Ventura County Fire Department said, but it was not immediately clear how they got hurt. The blaze crossed State Route 118 and spread to the Camarillo Heights neighborhood, prompting additional evacuations.
Aerial footage from KTLA-TV showed at least 20 houses in flames across several Camarillo neighborhoods as embers were whipped from home to home. Other footage captured horses trotting alongside evacuating vehicles and golf carts.
Andrew Dowd, a county fire spokesperson, said he did not have details of how many structures had been damaged.
"We know that there have been a number of structures impacted," he told The Associated Press. "It's a very unfortunate day."
Gus Garcia, who owns a ranch south of the fire, said he's waiting to see whether conditions will change to decide if he should evacuate his horses and cattle. Around 12:30 p.m., his animals were still safe and he was trying to stay out of the way as others got their livestock out.
His ranch is surrounded by others with horses and alpaca, and Garcia said his neighbors in the canyon did not seem panicked.