Southern California is facing a dangerous escalation of wildfires, fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds that are expected to intensify on Thursday, CNN reports.
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag warning, indicating “extreme and life-threatening fire behavior,” affecting 27 million people across the region, including the greater San Francisco Bay area. This warning remains in effect until 6 p.m. Thursday.
Forecasters have warned that the current conditions are eerily similar to those responsible for some of the state’s worst wildfires in history.
The Mountain Fire in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, has been particularly aggressive, fueled by the dry air and strong winds. The blaze, which is currently burning at a “dangerous rate of spread,” has already consumed agricultural fields and hedgerows, forcing the closure of all schools in the county through Friday.
Over 800 firefighters and 58 fire engines are battling the Mountain Fire, which has burned 14,148 acres with 0% containment as of Thursday morning. More than 14,000 people remain under evacuation orders. Due to the intense fire activity, helicopters have been unable to assist in firefighting efforts.
Footage from Camarillo Hills shows the devastating impact of the fire, with homes reduced to charred rubble and embers raining down on the landscape. While the exact number of structures damaged remains unknown, Governor Gavin Newsom estimates that approximately 3,500 homes, businesses, and structures have been affected.
Two people have been hospitalized with possible smoke inhalation.
The threat of wildfire ignition is so high that two major power providers, PG&E and Southern California Edison, have initiated power shut-offs to thousands of customers in an effort to prevent electrical equipment from sparking flames.
This proactive measure comes after PG&E paid a $45 million settlement for its equipment’s role in starting the Dixie Fire, California’s second largest in history, in 2011.
Over 11,000 Southern California Edison customers across five counties had their power cut off Wednesday morning, with the potential for nearly 250,000 customers to be impacted. Similarly, thousands of PG&E customers experienced power outages starting Wednesday morning, which will continue through Thursday.
These unprecedented wildfires have already scorched over 1,015,138 acres across California this year, a significant increase compared to the 332,822 acres burned by this time last year.
