Mountain Fire: Wind-fanned wildfire burning out of control near Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California - A wildfire fanned by powerful winds was burning out of control near Los Angeles on Wednesday, with scores of residents ordered to evacuate and some taken to the hospital.
Multiple large homes were destroyed as the fire tore through neighborhoods, blanketing a huge area in thick, choking smoke.
Fierce gusts up to 80 miles an hour were pushing smoke sideways and fueling flames that were scorching through farmland.
The fire was reported near Moorpark, 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, around breakfast time on Wednesday but had exploded to around 1,500 acres within a few hours and had moved into a suburb of Camarillo, home to around 70,000 people.
Local broadcasters showed luxury homes in the Camarillo Heights area engulfed in flames, many utterly destroyed.
Further up the hillsides, aerial footage showed people frantically loading horses into trailers at sprawling ranch properties as swirling flames loomed nearby.
"It's bad out there, but we're getting them all out," one woman told local broadcaster KTLA as she drove horses out of the area.
"[The fire] was surrounding on both sides... It's just all over the place. It's not one clear fire line. It's everywhere."
Firefighters had no official figures for the number of properties affected by the fire, which was also burning through fruit groves and brushland.
The high winds were picking up embers, threatening to spread the blaze further afield.
Residents evacuate as Mountain Fire destroys multiple homes
"Evacuation orders are in effect, and we urge residents to follow these orders for their safety," said a message on social media from the Ventura County Fire Department.
"Several individuals have been injured and transported to local hospitals. Numerous structures are currently threatened."
The high winds were complicating firefighting efforts, making it impossible for airplanes to take to the sky, the fire department said.
"Ground crews, helicopters, and mutual aid resources are actively working to protect lives and property," the agency said on social media.
Evacuee Gail Liacko said she had to evacuate very suddenly on a "normal morning."
"All of a sudden, there was soot on our patio furniture, coming from the front of the house as well as the back, and the smoke was kind of surrounding our street," she said.
She and her husband quickly began to throw things together.
"It was just very surreal. You just don't know what to pack in a moment of absolute panic."
Around 21,000 customers had lost power in the area as electricity companies shut off supplies – a common strategy in California during high winds in a bid to reduce the risk of new fires from energized power lines.
The National Weather Service warned dangerous winds were set to continue until at least the end of Thursday.
"Extreme and life-threatening fire behavior... Particularly dangerous situation," an NWS warning said.
Another blaze had also broken out in Malibu, threatening multi-million dollar homes on some of the most desirable coastline in Southern California.
Cover photo: ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP