On Thursday, firefighters were working hard to control a wildfire in Southern California that was fueled by intense winds, leading to the destruction of several homes and the evacuation of over 10,000 residents.

The rapidly spreading Mountain Fire ignited in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, on Wednesday morning. By late Thursday morning, the fire had consumed nearly 20,000 acres and was entirely uncontained, as reported by Cal Fire, the state’s firefighting agency.

The area under evacuation orders was expanded on Thursday morning, now covering 12 different zones. Fire Capt. Trevor Johnson from Ventura County emphasized that focusing on the fire’s northeastern section is of utmost importance. The fire has scorched 19,643 acres, increasing by over 5,000 acres since earlier that morning.

Two individuals have been admitted to the hospital due to smoke inhalation, according to officials. The evacuation orders will remain active through Thursday as over 800 firefighters from various areas of the state continue to engage the blaze.

“We have deployed every available helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft to combat this fire,” stated Fire Chief Dustin Gardner on Wednesday.

While tanker planes dropped water and fire retardant on a limited basis on Wednesday due to strong winds, Fire Capt. Tony McHale mentioned that these aircraft could be used more extensively on Thursday if the wind subsides as anticipated.

The National Weather Service warned that critical fire weather conditions, driven by high winds and low humidity, would persist throughout the state for the next few days. Santa Ana winds are expected to reach speeds of 30-55 mph, with gusts possibly hitting 100 mph in mountainous regions until Friday.

On Wednesday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved federal funds to assist California in managing the fire situation.

Fire Endangers Thousands of Homes and Buildings

Cal Fire has not yet provided an account of the number of homes and other structures that have been lost to the blaze, but journalists and photographers from the Ventura County Star, part of the YSL News Network, observed homes ablaze throughout the day near Camarillo and Somis.

According to Governor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, the fire poses a threat to over 3,500 structures. Images depict firefighters operating amidst towering smoke, with homes completely consumed, some even reduced to ashes.

“Bushes, grass, hedgerows, and agricultural fields are burning, along with structures,” Gardner said. “This fire is advancing at a dangerously high speed.”

Severe Fire Weather Across California on Thursday

Approximately 26 million residents in California were still under red flag warnings on Thursday.

This includes regions along the Interstate 5 corridor and northern Ventura County mountains until Friday. “Particularly Dangerous Situation” (PDS) red flag warnings were extended through the morning for areas such as the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, and central and southeastern Ventura County, stretching towards the beaches from Malibu to Oxnard.

“These conditions are extremely critical and highly unstable,” the Los Angeles/Oxnard weather service announced. “Any new fires in the Red Flag Warning area—especially in the PDS areas—will likely spread rapidly, exhibit extreme behavior, and affect distant areas.”

Officials in Ventura County indicated that electricity might be proactively cut off to avert any new fires from sparking amid these high-risk conditions, affecting over 90,000 customers as of Thursday morning.