The fires become especially dangerous when tree cover is dry and Santa Anna winds gust at high speeds, creating a wake-up call for everyone in California to be prepared. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.
By John Newland, Staff Writer, NBC News
Southern California firefighters were battling a growing, brush-fueled wildfire early Friday that had reached the beach in Ventura County and was pushing toward the upscale city of Malibu, officials said.
The so-called Springs Fire, made worse by howling Santa Ana winds and unusually dry vegetation, was within "seven or eight miles" of Malibu at 2 a.m. local time (5 a.m. ET), Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Bill Nash said.
"We've got hot, dirty, unglamorous firefighting work going on right now, guys with shovels trying to scratch out lines on the ground," Nash said early Friday. "We've got those guys on these steep hillsides in the dark with nothing but the light of the fire and a flashlight."
Weather permitting, the six water-tanker airplanes and eight helicopters working the fire were to return to duty after sunrise, he said.
Official reports put the fire's size at about 8,000 acres, or 12 square miles, but Nash said it had grown overnight -- "we just don't know by how much."
Evacuations took place Thursday, and as of Friday morning 15 homes had been damaged. More than 2,000 homes and 100 commercial properties were under threat from the fire, Nash said, adding that the numbers could grow as Friday wore on.
"Where it's burning right now, the population is mostly ranches and camps and rural-type properties," he said. "But it doesn't have to go very far to get to some expensive homes and more populated areas. ... It came out literally on the beach and now it's essentially burning down the mountainside toward Malibu."
Though the more than 900 firefighters on the scene got a brief overnight reprieve as the humidity jumped and winds died down, conditions were expected to worsen after sunrise on Friday.
Santa Ana winds, which blow torrid air from the desert toward the Pacific Ocean, were at a sustained 40 mph Thursday and were expected to return on Friday, though perhaps to a lesser degree, Nash said.
Complicating the situation is the extremely dry plant life left from a season in which only about five inches of rain fell, he added.
Friday "may be the hottest day of the week, and the humidity we do expect to plummet," he said. "We’re faced with a situation right now where the vegetation on the hillsides, the moisture level is what we typically see in August."
The cause of the fire remained under investigation Friday. There had been no lightning or other natural fire-starting phenomenon in the area when the blaze began, Nash said.
In Riverside County, hundreds of firefighters had begun to gain control of a wind-lashed 3,000-acre wildfire that consumed one home and led to the evacuation of hundreds of others.
The Ventura County fire started at 6:30 a.m. local time on Thursday (9:30 a.m. ET), Nash said. Firefighters assisted by bulldozers, helicopters and air tankers struggled to reach the brush fire in the rocky terrain.
Live television pictures late Thursday showed a home engulfed in flames and massive plumes of smoke rising above the burn zone. Fire officials on the scene reported no injuries.
Residents in the Dos Vientos area were ordered to evacuate at about 9:45 a.m. local time on Thursday, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. Fire officials told residents they could return home shortly after 6:30 p.m.
Zeke Jaquez, a resident of Camarillo, about 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles, told NBC Los Angeles that he called 911 to report what would become known as the Springs Fire.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s this huge monster,” Jaquez said.
Officials said Friday morning that the Springs Fire was about 10 percent contained, unchanged from the night before even as it continued to spread.
The Riverside County fire, dubbed the Summit Fire, remained at less than 3,000 acres Thursday night and was about 40 percent contained, according to a Cal Fire incident report. Firefighters worked to improve containment lines around the raging blaze that threatened homes on Wednesday, but one building had been destroyed.
Two of the 650 firefighters trying to tame the blaze sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to the report.
Additionally, more than 1,000 firefighters were battling a third major wildfire, designated the Panther Fire, Thursday night in rugged timberland in Northern California -- in Tehama County about 30 miles east of Chico.
Gusty down-canyon winds were driving the 10,000-acre blaze, according to Cal Fire. It was 10 percent contained Thursday night, when the last report was issued.
NBC News' Jeff Black and Matthew DeLuca contributed to this report.
This story was originally published on Thu May 2, 2013 9:46 AM EDT
By John Newland, Staff Writer, NBC News
Southern California firefighters were battling a growing, brush-fueled wildfire early Friday that had reached the beach in Ventura County and was pushing toward the upscale city of Malibu, officials said.
The so-called Springs Fire, made worse by howling Santa Ana winds and unusually dry vegetation, was within "seven or eight miles" of Malibu at 2 a.m. local time (5 a.m. ET), Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Bill Nash said.
"We've got hot, dirty, unglamorous firefighting work going on right now, guys with shovels trying to scratch out lines on the ground," Nash said early Friday. "We've got those guys on these steep hillsides in the dark with nothing but the light of the fire and a flashlight."
Weather permitting, the six water-tanker airplanes and eight helicopters working the fire were to return to duty after sunrise, he said.
Official reports put the fire's size at about 8,000 acres, or 12 square miles, but Nash said it had grown overnight -- "we just don't know by how much."
Evacuations took place Thursday, and as of Friday morning 15 homes had been damaged. More than 2,000 homes and 100 commercial properties were under threat from the fire, Nash said, adding that the numbers could grow as Friday wore on.
"Where it's burning right now, the population is mostly ranches and camps and rural-type properties," he said. "But it doesn't have to go very far to get to some expensive homes and more populated areas. ... It came out literally on the beach and now it's essentially burning down the mountainside toward Malibu."
Though the more than 900 firefighters on the scene got a brief overnight reprieve as the humidity jumped and winds died down, conditions were expected to worsen after sunrise on Friday.
Santa Ana winds, which blow torrid air from the desert toward the Pacific Ocean, were at a sustained 40 mph Thursday and were expected to return on Friday, though perhaps to a lesser degree, Nash said.
Complicating the situation is the extremely dry plant life left from a season in which only about five inches of rain fell, he added.
Friday "may be the hottest day of the week, and the humidity we do expect to plummet," he said. "We’re faced with a situation right now where the vegetation on the hillsides, the moisture level is what we typically see in August."
The cause of the fire remained under investigation Friday. There had been no lightning or other natural fire-starting phenomenon in the area when the blaze began, Nash said.
In Riverside County, hundreds of firefighters had begun to gain control of a wind-lashed 3,000-acre wildfire that consumed one home and led to the evacuation of hundreds of others.
The Ventura County fire started at 6:30 a.m. local time on Thursday (9:30 a.m. ET), Nash said. Firefighters assisted by bulldozers, helicopters and air tankers struggled to reach the brush fire in the rocky terrain.
Live television pictures late Thursday showed a home engulfed in flames and massive plumes of smoke rising above the burn zone. Fire officials on the scene reported no injuries.
Residents in the Dos Vientos area were ordered to evacuate at about 9:45 a.m. local time on Thursday, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. Fire officials told residents they could return home shortly after 6:30 p.m.
Zeke Jaquez, a resident of Camarillo, about 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles, told NBC Los Angeles that he called 911 to report what would become known as the Springs Fire.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s this huge monster,” Jaquez said.
Officials said Friday morning that the Springs Fire was about 10 percent contained, unchanged from the night before even as it continued to spread.
The Riverside County fire, dubbed the Summit Fire, remained at less than 3,000 acres Thursday night and was about 40 percent contained, according to a Cal Fire incident report. Firefighters worked to improve containment lines around the raging blaze that threatened homes on Wednesday, but one building had been destroyed.
Two of the 650 firefighters trying to tame the blaze sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to the report.
Additionally, more than 1,000 firefighters were battling a third major wildfire, designated the Panther Fire, Thursday night in rugged timberland in Northern California -- in Tehama County about 30 miles east of Chico.
Gusty down-canyon winds were driving the 10,000-acre blaze, according to Cal Fire. It was 10 percent contained Thursday night, when the last report was issued.
NBC News' Jeff Black and Matthew DeLuca contributed to this report.
This story was originally published on Thu May 2, 2013 9:46 AM EDT