Fierce winds threaten to exacerbate a the Mountain Fire in Southern California, which has exploded in size over the course of just one day and forced the evacuations of thousands of people.
Here’s a recap:
Thousands flee: The Mountain Fire in Ventura County has burned at least 14,148 acres since it erupted west of Los Angeles on Wednesday morning, according to Cal Fire. The fire, which is 0% contained, has prompted evacuation orders across parts of the area. On Wednesday, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office made 14,000 contacts in an effort to get residents to flee, Sheriff James Fryhoff said.
Scores of homes potentially impacted: Officials haven’t yet determined the number of structures damaged in the fire. But they are “aware that a number of structures have been damaged or destroyed,” Ventura County Fire Department spokesperson Andy VanSciver said at a news conference, noting the agency expects to begin counting impacted structures Thursday. In a statement, the office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom estimated roughly 3,500 structures were threatened.
Deteriorating conditions: Fierce winds will make the job of firefighters more difficult as the sun rises. Sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph – with wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph – are expected across the area Thursday morning. The wind will ease slightly this afternoon, and it won’t be as strong as it was Wednesday. But it will still pose a considerable risk amid tinder-dry conditions. “Any new fires … will have rapid fire spread (and) extreme fire behavior,” the National Weather Service in Los Angeles warned.
Hundreds deployed in response: At least 800 firefighters and 58 fire engines are battling the blaze on South Mountain. The conditions are unsafe for helicopters, Fire Capt. Trevor Johnson said at Wednesday’s news conference.
Mountain Fire burned a football field every 4 seconds on Wednesday
From CNN Meteorologists Mary Gilbert and Brandon Miller
The Mountain Fire tore through Ventura County so rapidly Wednesday that it burned through a football field worth of land every four seconds.
The fire was about 250 acres in size Wednesday morning when crews first responded, but by late afternoon it had exploded to more than 10,000 acres, according to fire officials.
That means the fire tore through the equivalent of 18 football fields every minute over the course of about seven hours.
The fire’s extremely rapid spread was captured from space.
In the satellite loop below, the fire begins as a few reddish-brown pixels representing lower intensity flames and quickly increases in scope and intensity to become a large cluster of red-orange pixels representing intense burning.