Hundreds of firefighters battle rapidly spreading wildfire in California | California

Hundreds of firefighters in California are battling a fast-spreading fire that broke out Wednesday and has spread to more than 14,000 acres (5,665 hectares), prompting evacuations.

The Mountain Fire ignited Wednesday morning in Ventura County near the city of Camarillo.

As of Thursday morning, it has expanded to 14,187 acres and is currently 0% contained. According to the Ventura County Fire Department, at least 800 firefighters are working to bring the fire under control, both on the ground and with helicopters.

Local authorities said on Wednesday that more than 14,000 people had been ordered to evacuate. Evacuation orders remain in effect on Thursday.

The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for parts of Southwest California, indicating that critical fire weather conditions are present or will occur soon.

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles office of the National Weather Service added the rare “particularly hazardous situation” designation to its warnings.

The red flag warning remains in effect in most areas through most of Thursday and is in effect through Friday morning for the same regions, including the Inland Empire, the coastal slopes of San Bernardino County and the mountainous areas of San Diego and Riverside County.

Warnings for strong winds and thick smoke are in effect for certain regions on Thursday.

The fire was ignited when strong winds combined with very dry air in Santa Ana, according to the weather agency and local authorities.

Weather experts say a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.

Wind gusts reached speeds of 85 miles per hour (187 km/h) in some areas and humidity was as low as 8% in some areas on Wednesday.

On Thursday morning, the National Weather Service reported that relative humidity was just 10% and certain areas were experiencing wind gusts of 60 mph (95 km/h).

Winds are expected to ease later Thursday, but critical fire conditions will remain in place until then.

“Any fires that develop are likely to spread quickly,” the National Weather Service said Thursday morning.

Ventura County Fire Department officials said Wednesday afternoon that they were aware of numerous structures damaged or destroyed by the fire, but that a more detailed assessment of the damage would be conducted once it was safe to do so.

The fire has already destroyed dozens of homes, according to the Associated Press, and firefighters also reported that at least two people were taken to the hospital for possible smoke inhalation.

“Our firefighters are doing nothing short of heroic work out there,” Ventura County Fire Chief Trevor Johnson said Wednesday.

Due to the high fire risk, Southern California Edison has temporarily shut off power to several thousand customers as part of its public safety power shutoff plan to prevent the electrical system from becoming an ignition source.

Similarly, Pacific Gas and Electric Company shut off power to thousands of accounts across the state to limit the risk of ignition.

About 3,000 customers in Ventura County and just over 500 in Los Angeles County were without power Thursday morning, according to poweroutage.us.

Ventura County Schools also announced that all schools in the area would remain closed Thursday and Friday.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that the state has received federal assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to ensure the availability of vital resources for Ventura County.

“This is a dangerous fire that is spreading rapidly and threatening lives,” Newsom said. “State resources have been mobilized to protect communities, and this federal support from the Biden-Harris Administration will give state and local firefighters the resources they need to save lives and property as they continue to fight this aggressive fire fight.”

The Mountain Fire isn’t the only fire to break out in Southern California this week.

According to local officials, the Broad Fire broke out in the Malibu area of ​​Los Angeles County on Wednesday. As of Wednesday evening, the area had grown to 50 acres (20 hectares) and was 15% contained, with forward movement halted.

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, wildfires have burned more than 1,015,000 acres (410,756 hectares) across California this year, compared to 332,822 acres (134,688 hectares) last year.

District officials have scheduled their next news conference for 10 a.m. local time (1 p.m. ET).