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, Jeff Black and Matthew DeLuca, NBC News
Southern California firefighters early Friday were fiercely battling a growing, brush-fueled wildfire that had reached the beach in Ventura County and was pushing toward the upscale city of Malibu, officials said.
The 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."
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."
More than 2,000 homes were being threatened by the fire early Friday, and 15 had been damaged, Nash said, adding that the number could grow as the day wears 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."
Though firefighters got a brief overnight reprieve as the humidity jumped and winds died down, conditions were expected to worsen Friday.
Santa Ana winds, which blow hot 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."
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, 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.
The fire continued to spread throughout the day. More than 600 firefighters were called to the blaze, and the Ventura Freeway was shut down as firefighters streamed into the area, the county's fire department reported.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the fire burned down a storage facility at a strawberry and raspberry farm in Camarillo and charred hills surrounding the campus of Cal State Channel Islands, which canceled classes the rest of the week.
Camarillo is about 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
Camarillo resident Zeke Jaquez, who spoke to NBC Los Angeles, 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 fire was about 10 percent contained, unchanged from night before even as it continued to spread.
The Riverside County fire, dubbed the Summit Fire, remained at about 2,950 acres late Thursday after growing overnight. Firefighters worked to improve containment lines around the raging blaze that threatened homes on Wednesday. The fire was about 40 percent contained by midday Thursday, according to a Riverside County Fire Department incident report.
Two firefighters sustained non-life-threatening injuries while battling the blaze, according to the report. Residents in the area were asked to use caution when driving through the area and not travel down barricaded roadways.
No rain was in the forecast, and gusty winds are expected to continue through the weekend, Weather Channel meteorologist Tom Moore said Thursday. Winds of 25 to 30 miles per hour were expected throughout the day with gusts up to 60 to 70 miles per hour, Moore said.
The Summit Fire is about 85 miles east of Los Angeles.
"The grass, brush and trees are very volatile. They're ready to burn," Hutchinson said. "Everything is just very dry. And not just in Southern California. Statewide."
More than four hundred firefighters with the help of 46 engine companies, six helicopters and six air tankers fought to contain the fire on Wednesday night. The fire had a “slow rate of spread” as of 8:50 p.m. local time on Wednesday, according to a fire department incident report.
The fire in Riverside County was first reported at 12:38 p.m. local time on Wednesday. About 700 people fled their homes for shelters when evacuations were imposed, NBC Los Angeles reported. Evacuation orders were lifted as of 8 p.m., fire officials said.
“When the fires up here go, they go quick, and you got to save yourself. That’s the first thing, preservation of yourself,” Joe Kiener, a resident who lost his home, told NBC Los Angeles. “I don’t think I have anything other than what’s on my back.”
Resident David Pena said his house nearly went up in flames until a shift in the wind.
“It was close! God’s grace, man. It’s a miracle,” Pena told the Press-Enterprise.
Air quality regulators in the area issued a warning for the area around Banning, Calif., on Wednesday, saying that residents should “exercise caution and avoid unnecessary outdoor activities in any area directly impacted by smoke.”
Two hundred families in a mobile home park were evacuated before being allowed back into their homes around 8 p.m., according to NBC Los Angeles.
A third major wildfire, designated the Panther Fire, was burning in rugged timberland in Northern California -- in Tehama County about 30 miles east of Chico.
Gusty down-canyon winds were driving the 7,000-acre blaze, according to a Cal Fire incident report. It was 10 percent contained on Thursday morning, the last report.
Nearly 500 firefighters were on the Panther Fire, which had not yet threatened homes or roads.
This story was originally published on Thu May 2, 2013 9:46 AM EDT
By John Newland, Jeff Black and Matthew DeLuca, NBC News
Southern California firefighters early Friday were fiercely battling a growing, brush-fueled wildfire that had reached the beach in Ventura County and was pushing toward the upscale city of Malibu, officials said.
The 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."
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."
More than 2,000 homes were being threatened by the fire early Friday, and 15 had been damaged, Nash said, adding that the number could grow as the day wears 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."
Though firefighters got a brief overnight reprieve as the humidity jumped and winds died down, conditions were expected to worsen Friday.
Santa Ana winds, which blow hot 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."
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, 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.
The fire continued to spread throughout the day. More than 600 firefighters were called to the blaze, and the Ventura Freeway was shut down as firefighters streamed into the area, the county's fire department reported.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the fire burned down a storage facility at a strawberry and raspberry farm in Camarillo and charred hills surrounding the campus of Cal State Channel Islands, which canceled classes the rest of the week.
Camarillo is about 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
Camarillo resident Zeke Jaquez, who spoke to NBC Los Angeles, 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 fire was about 10 percent contained, unchanged from night before even as it continued to spread.
The Riverside County fire, dubbed the Summit Fire, remained at about 2,950 acres late Thursday after growing overnight. Firefighters worked to improve containment lines around the raging blaze that threatened homes on Wednesday. The fire was about 40 percent contained by midday Thursday, according to a Riverside County Fire Department incident report.
Two firefighters sustained non-life-threatening injuries while battling the blaze, according to the report. Residents in the area were asked to use caution when driving through the area and not travel down barricaded roadways.
No rain was in the forecast, and gusty winds are expected to continue through the weekend, Weather Channel meteorologist Tom Moore said Thursday. Winds of 25 to 30 miles per hour were expected throughout the day with gusts up to 60 to 70 miles per hour, Moore said.
The Summit Fire is about 85 miles east of Los Angeles.
"The grass, brush and trees are very volatile. They're ready to burn," Hutchinson said. "Everything is just very dry. And not just in Southern California. Statewide."
More than four hundred firefighters with the help of 46 engine companies, six helicopters and six air tankers fought to contain the fire on Wednesday night. The fire had a “slow rate of spread” as of 8:50 p.m. local time on Wednesday, according to a fire department incident report.
The fire in Riverside County was first reported at 12:38 p.m. local time on Wednesday. About 700 people fled their homes for shelters when evacuations were imposed, NBC Los Angeles reported. Evacuation orders were lifted as of 8 p.m., fire officials said.
“When the fires up here go, they go quick, and you got to save yourself. That’s the first thing, preservation of yourself,” Joe Kiener, a resident who lost his home, told NBC Los Angeles. “I don’t think I have anything other than what’s on my back.”
Resident David Pena said his house nearly went up in flames until a shift in the wind.
“It was close! God’s grace, man. It’s a miracle,” Pena told the Press-Enterprise.
Air quality regulators in the area issued a warning for the area around Banning, Calif., on Wednesday, saying that residents should “exercise caution and avoid unnecessary outdoor activities in any area directly impacted by smoke.”
Two hundred families in a mobile home park were evacuated before being allowed back into their homes around 8 p.m., according to NBC Los Angeles.
A third major wildfire, designated the Panther Fire, was burning in rugged timberland in Northern California -- in Tehama County about 30 miles east of Chico.
Gusty down-canyon winds were driving the 7,000-acre blaze, according to a Cal Fire incident report. It was 10 percent contained on Thursday morning, the last report.
Nearly 500 firefighters were on the Panther Fire, which had not yet threatened homes or roads.
This story was originally published on Thu May 2, 2013 9:46 AM EDT