Several
large wildfires have forced hundreds of thousands from their homes in
Southern California, and persistent Santa Ana winds will challenge
firefighters looking to contain the blazes.
The
largest of five active fires, the Thomas Fire, began on Monday near the
town of Santa Paula in Ventura County, California. It exploded in size
during the overnight hours on Tuesday and is currently 96,000 acres and
five percent contained. It is threatening 12,000 structures with many
already destroyed.
In
Los Angeles County, the Creek Fire and Rye Fire have burned 12,605
acres and 7,000 acres respectively. Both fires triggered evacuation
orders and road closures, according to the Los Angeles County Fire
Department.
On
Wednesday morning, a fourth wildfire erupted, this time near the 405
Freeway in the Speulvada Pass section of Los Angeles. This fire is being
called the Skirball Fire.
Santa
Ana winds will continue to whip through Southern California through the
rest of this week, threatening to spread these blazes and any new fires
that ignite rapidly.
More
lives and homes will be threatened, and residents living in the Santa
Ana wind-prone areas should prepare for the possibility of needing to
evacuate at a moment's notice.
"The
winds will make it difficult to get air support to these wildfires,"
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Ken Clark said. "Helicopters may be
able to aid firefighters, but the winds can be more problematic for
larger aircraft."
9 a.m. PST Thursday:
Los
Angeles County officials say that firefighters are now battling a new
wildfire in Malibu called the Horizon Fire. This is the fourth blaze in
Los Angeles County, joining the Creek Fire near Sylmar, the Rye Fire
near Santa Clarita and the Skirball Fire in Los Angeles.
The fifth major fire in Southern California, the Thomas Fire, is in Ventura County.
7:53 a.m. PST Thursday:
The Thomas Fire has grown to 96,000 acres and lanes have been reopened on the 101 Freeway, according to ABC7.
Ventura County officials said the Thomas Fire continues to burn actively with extreme rates of spread.
"The
fire is established on the north and east side of Highway 150 and is
also burning on the west side of Highway 33. The fire has pushed
northwest of Ventura and has reached the Highway 101," officials said in
a statement. "Firefighters continue to work aggressively to protect
life and property while working on control efforts around the fire
perimeter."
4:25 a.m. PST Thursday:
The
Ventura County Sheriff's Office said U.S. Highway 101 is closed in both
directions between Ventura and the oceanside community of Carpinteria
due to the Thomas Fire.
Mandatory evacuations were also issued for the community of La Conchita, located about 30 minutes south of Ventura.
1:30 a.m. PST Thursday:
Around
11,000 Southern California Edison (SCE) customers are without power due
to the wildfires and gusty winds. SCE warns that the power may remain
out for several days as crews are having difficulty gaining access to
fire-ravaged areas.
12:00 a.m. PST Thursday:
Over a dozen schools have announced closures for the rest of the week due to the wildfires raging across Southern California, ABC7 reports. Mandatory evacuations for the raging Thomas Fire have been expanded to include much of the Ojai Valley.
10:45 p.m. PST Wednesday:
Santa
Ana winds are picking up across Southern California and threatening to
cause further fire growth. Wind gusts between 60 and 80 mph with
localized gusts to 90 mph will continue into Thursday morning.
8:00 p.m. PST Wednesday:
Nearly 40 horses died at Rancho Padilla in Sylmar, California, in the Creek Fire on Wednesday, according to ABC7.
The fire was so intense that ranch workers were unable to open the barn
doors to free the horses. Around six horses were rescued.
Poor air quality forced the Los Angeles Rams to hold their practice indoors at Cal Lutheran University, according to The Associated Press. The team plans to practice outdoors on Thursday unless air quality worsens.
6:25 p.m. PST Wednesday:
The
Thomas Fire, the largest fire currently burning in Southern California,
has grown to 90,000 acres. Earlier on Wednesday, the fire was estimated
to be 65,000 acres.
Thomas Fire Wed eve
A
helicopter makes a water drop on hot spots after the Thomas fire swept
through Ventura, Calif., Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. (Daniel Dreifuss via AP)
6:05 p.m. PST Wednesday:
Winds
have been increasing across Southern California over the past several
hours and will continue to increase through Wednesday night. Winds in
canyons and passes may gust as high as 70 to 80 mph.
The
combination of extremely dry air and strong winds is leading to one of
the highest fire risks seen across the region in decades.
In
addition to bringing a high fire danger, the strong winds may also
bring down trees and power lines resulting in power outages.
3:45 p.m. PST Wednesday:
The
Santa Ana winds are expected to pick up across Southern California in
the next couple of hours, elevating the risk of new wildfires erupting.
"Winds
will increase again Wednesday night into Thursday, and conditions will
be similar to what was experienced Monday night. The threat for fire
ignition and rapid growth will be critically high during this time,"
AccuWeather Meteorologist Jordan Root said.
"Relative humidity levels will continue to remain low as well, extending the wildfire threat," Root said.
1:10 p.m. PST Wednesday:
A
local State of Emergency has been declared in Los Angeles in response
to the Skirball Fire. This is in addition to the Emergency Declaration
signed by Mayor Eric Garcetti on Tuesday in response to the Creek Fire.
"Both
Emergency Declarations direct relevant City departments to take all
necessary steps to protect life and property in the area affected by the
fires," the press release said.
"This declarations also request that state and federal assistance be provided to the City quickly."
11:50 a.m. PST Wednesday:
UCLA
has canceled their basketball game tonight against Montana due to the
Skirball fire burning nearby. Power outages have also been reported on
campus.
The
northbound lanes of the 405 Freeway remains closed between the 101 and
10 freeways due to the Skirball fire, but the southbound lanes have been
reopened, the LAPD said late Wednesday morning.
10:27 a.m. PST Wednesday:
KABC7
reports that the Skirball Fire has destroyed at least four homes in the
Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles. It has burned 150 acres and is
zero percent contained.
bel air fire
Los
Angeles firefighters battle to contain flames to a burning home and
prevent the fire's spread to adjoining properties in the Bel Air
district of Los Angeles on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Reed
Saxon)
8:35 a.m. PST Wednesday:
The
Federal Emergency Management Assistance Agency has approved fire
management assistance grants for the Thomas Fire, Creek Fire and Rye
Fire. These grants will help cover the costs of emergency work in
California.
President Donald Trump thanked the first responders on Twitter for their "incredible work."
"Our
thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the path of California's
wildfires. I encourage everyone to heed the advice and orders of local
and state officials," Trump tweeted.
In
a recent update, Cal Fire reports that the Rye Fire burning in the
Santa Clarita area has now grown to 7,000 acres and remains 5 percent
contained.
8:06 a.m. PST Wednesday:
Firefighting
efforts are underway to battle the Skirball Fire which is racing up
Sepulvada Pass near the Getty Center in Los Angeles. Helicopters are
dropping water on the blaze which is encroaching on homes as seen in
live footage from KABC7 in Los Angeles.
At least 220 firefighters are on the scene and mandatory evacuation orders have been issued. There has been been a report on the amount of acres burned by the fire.
6:46 a.m. PST Wednesday: A
new wildfire, labeled the Skirball Fire, is burning near the 405
Freeway in Los Angeles and has forced both lanes to be closed for an
undetermined amount of time.
The
fire began around 5 a.m. in the Brentwood section of Los Angeles and is
causing massive gridlock on the 405 Freeway, according to the Los Angeles Times.
6 a.m. PST Wednesday:
There
have been no reports of fatalities due to the wildfires; however, three
firefighters sustained injuries battling the Creek Fire, according to
the Los Angeles Fire Department. The Creek Fire has destroyed
approximately 30 structures.
The fire is also causing poor air quality for those in northwestern Los Angeles County coastal areas, as well as the San Fernando Valley.
"It
is difficult to tell where ash or soot from a fire will go, or how
winds will affect the level of dust particles in the air, so we ask all
individuals to be aware of their immediate environment and to take
actions to safeguard their health," said Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser, the
Interim Health Officer for Los Angeles County. "Smoke and ash can be
harmful to health, especially in vulnerable individuals, like the
elderly, people with asthma or individuals with other respiratory and
heart conditions."
2:28 a.m. PST Wednesday
Despite
over 24 hours of swiftly spreading wildfire activity, no deaths have
been attributed to the fires in Southern California. Mandatory
evacuation orders now impact 200,000 people, who can shelter in one of
several evacuation shelters set up around the area.
Dozens
of school districts and several area colleges will remain closed on
Wednesday. A full list of school and road closures, as well as important
phone numbers and evacuation zones and shelters, can be found at ReadyVenturaCounty.org.
"The
public did an outstanding job heeding our evacuation orders, getting
out of these danger zones in a very prompt, timely manner," said Robert
Welsbie, spokesman for the Ventura Fire Department.
Airplanes
and helicopters are expected to "attack the fire at daybreak,"
according to the Ventura County Sheriff via ReadyVenturaCounty.com.
Sunrise will occur at 6:45 a.m. local time.
A resurgence of stronger winds is expected to begin on Wednesday night.
"The
fire danger on Thursday may become more extreme when compared to
Tuesday as temperatures are expected to be higher and the strongest
winds will cover a larger area of Southern California," warned
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.
Regardless
of current evacuation orders, residents in the general vicinity of any
fires should be prepared to evacuate at a moment's notice and have a
plan to transport pets to a safe location.
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