Large fire north of Los Angeles – Dozens injured, strong winds –

A large fire was spreading rapidly northwest of Los Angeles on Wednesday, destroying homes and crops, fueled by very strong winds, which brought it to the gates of expensive neighborhoods in a city of tens of thousands of residents, as it became clear that California’s wildfire season was not over.

Urgent evacuations

Authorities urged residents of areas at higher risk to evacuate immediately, especially north of the city of Camarillo, about sixty kilometers from downtown Los Angeles.

Several injured people were taken to hospital and several buildings were threatened by the flames.

Winds of 130 km/h

The hills overlooking the city of Camarillo (pop. 70,000) were shrouded in thick smoke and winds of up to 130 kilometers per hour were expected to continue blowing until the end of the day, complicating the work of firefighters as they were unable to operate aerial means.

Containment of the fire 36,000 acres

The fire broke out yesterday morning and had already spread to 36,000 hectares by early afternoon. Many residences, among them luxury buildings, as well as agricultural and livestock lands, were destroyed by the fire, according to the fire department.

21,000 households without electricity

More than 21,000 households are without power, as it is common practice in California for authorities to shut off power to prevent further fires from breaking out due to strong winds and high voltage on the grid.

“Great condition”

“The situation is terrible,” a horse farm worker told a local television station. “We’re trying to get them all out,” he added, with footage showing animals being hauled away on a trailer.

Gail Liako said she was forced to leave her home too quickly while America woke up to President-elect Republican Donald Trump.

New wildfire torches thousands of acres, forces evacuations north of Los Angeles. This is the fire currently burning 1/2 mile northwest from my house 👀🔥🔥😢😢
Somis, CA pic.twitter.com/cF3a5Wdbj8

— 𝐉𝐎𝐇𝐍 𝐖𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝕏ʰⁱᵗᵐᵃⁿ 🔫 (@imUrB00gieman) November 6, 2024

Moments of absolute panic

“Suddenly our garden furniture was covered in smoke (…) smoke invaded the street (…) it was very surreal. You don’t know what to take with you in these moments of absolute panic.”

And a second fire

A few dozen kilometers to the south, another fire broke out on the outskirts of Malibu, threatening luxury properties dotted along the coast.

After two rainy winters that gave it a breather, California experienced an extremely severe fire season this year. The Golden State has suffered back-to-back heat waves, a sign of climate change, and in July and August faced the fourth largest wildfire in its history.

I was able to catch a glimpse of the “Mountain Fire” during my flight from Burbank to Sacramento this afternoon.

The fire has burned more than 10,000 acres in the hills above of the Ventura County community of Moorpark northwest of Los Angeles. Stay with @KTLA for complete… pic.twitter.com/nYjCaMo8Me

— Eytan Wallace (@EytanWallace) November 6, 2024

Source: APE – MEB