Winds die down, but fire rages in California - CNN International

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A Ventura County Fire Department helicopter en route to make a water drop on the wildfire in Point Mugu State Park on Friday May 3, in Newbury Park, California. Hundreds of firefighters continue to battle wind and dry conditions as the fires continue to burn.

Fire burns along the Pacific Coast Highway close to the Naval Base Ventura County near Point Mugu, California, on May 3. Thousands of homes are threatened by the growing wildfire northwest of Los Angeles that has forced the closure of the scenic coastal highway.

A firefighter goes after on a flareup along the Pacific Coast Highway near Point Mugu, California, on May 3.

Lifeguards in Malibu, California, watch smoke rising from the wildfire burning near the Pacific Coast Highway on May 3.

Firefighters battle a wildfire at Point Mugu State Park in California, on May 3. Winds have made fighting the blaze, called the Springs Fire, more difficult, and authorities have ordered mandatory evacuations of homes and the campus of California State University Channel Islands.

The Springs Fire burns in the early morning near the Pacific Coast Highway at Point Mugu State Park, California, on May 3.

A firefighter works against a wall of flames from an out-of-control wildfire on Thursday, May 2, in Camarillo, California.

A large plume of smoke rises from the wildfires in Newbury Park, California, on May 2.

A firefighter prepares to push back against the flames in Camarillo on May 2.

Firefighters put out hot spots on a hillside behind homes in Newbury Park on May 2.

A resident watches as a wildfire approaches homes in Newbury Park.

Ventura County fire officials go door-to-door asking residents if they need assistance as a wildfire approaches homes on Thursday. The wildfire has burned 6,500 acres.

A firefighting helicopter comes in to make a water drop behind homes threatened by the fire on Thursday. Ninety-six fire engines, six helicopters and five bulldozers have been deployed in battling two California wildfires in the Los Angeles area, according to fire authorities.

A resident watches as the fire approaches homes in Newbury Park. Flare-ups rose 15 feet behind backyards, but no houses had caught fire by about noon Thursday local time.

The wildfire burns out of control near an farm in Camarillo, California, on Thursday. Nearly 600 fire and law enforcement personnel were assigned to battle the blaze.

Ventura County fire and sheriffs officials deploy for structure protection as the wildfire approaches Newbury Park on Thursday.

The wildfire burns in Camarillo on Thursday. Nine miles of the Pacific Coast highway have been closed between the ocean and the Santa Monica Mountains.

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• Blaze crosses Pacific Coast Highway, but causes scant damage to naval base
• Fire acreage soars to 28,000
• Blaze threatens 4,000 homes

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Los Angeles (CNN) -- The strong winds that fueled a raging wildfire in the Los Angeles-area are expected to die down some Saturday, a welcome change for the army of firefighters battling the blaze.
The fire, which began Thursday morning, has damaged 15 homes,15 outbuildings and five commercial properties while torching 28,000 acres in the Ventura County area, fire authorities said.
"Onshore winds have begun to diminish this evening allowing for the expiration of all red flag warnings," the National Weather Service said late Friday.
The winds gusted to 45 mph the past two days, fueling the roaring flames.
Authorities ordered a mandatory evacuation Friday for the affluent Ventura County community of Hidden Valley, northwest of Los Angeles. Evacuations remained in effect Friday evening for several other areas.
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The so-called Springs Fire was nearly out of control in Ventura County on Friday evening. More than 950 fire and law enforcement personnel contained 20% of the blaze near upscale homes and through the Santa Monica Mountains, the county fire department said.
Federal funding was made available to cover 75% of firefighting costs, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced.
The Ventura County blaze, which was expected to reach the Pacific Ocean, crossed the scenic Pacific Coast Highway that separates the Santa Monica Mountains from the sea. Small fires damaged a military firing range, a Navy spokeswoman said.
Several timber backdrops at the range were partially or completely burned, but because the facility sits in wetlands next to a lagoon, the fires weren't a threat to Naval Base Ventura County at Point Mugu, said spokeswoman Kimberly Gearhart. Ammunition isn't stored at the facility, she said.
"If something catches fire, it's in the best possible (place) because it's isolated and it's near water," Gearhart said. "Our biggest concern right now is smoke because it's a very smoldering fire, and as the wind shifts, it either blows smoke toward or away from us."
Evacuation orders were in effect in several areas on Friday, but officials lifted orders for the campus of California State University Channel Islands in Camarillo and for the Dos Vientos community in Newbury Park, authorities said.
Because of the smoke, ash and winds, people in affected areas were urged to be cautious and to avoid unnecessary outdoor activities, the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District said.
CNN meteorologist Chad Myers described the fire as a bad omen for California because the wildfire season isn't supposed to start until August or September.
Mountain chaparral and shrubs are dry because Los Angeles has received only half of its normal rainfall the past two years, Myers said. The vegetation is brown, instead of green from winter rain, he said.
The Los Angeles area has received less than 2 inches of rain since January, making the bone-dry region "definitely ripe for these fires," said William Patzert, a NASA climatologist.
But that could change soon. Rain showers could hit the area Sunday evening, forecasters say.
CNN's Paul Vercammen contributed from Newbury Park. Kyung Lah, Diahann Reyes, Phil Gast and Lateef Mungin also contributed to this report.