Thousands Evacuated in Southern California as Wildfires Rage

As of early Friday morning, there were at least 14,000 Californians under evacuation orders as wildfires triggered by Santa Ana winds whipped up the fires and spread the flames. Here is the latest on the critical wildfire situation in Southern California.

Santa Ana Wind Event Triggers Wildfires

Forecasters began warning earlier in the week that much of Southern California would be under a red flag warning as a result of a Santa Ana wind event. This forecast came to fruition when the high winds and dry conditions sparked and spread fires.

The situation worsened on Wednesday and Thursday as a wildfire roared through a highly populated suburban neighborhood located to the northwest of Los Angeles. Fire crews rescued people from burning homes as the Mountain Fire burned in Ventura County.

At least two injuries have been reported at the hands of the Mountain Fire, a blaze that quickly exploded in size as the winds picked up speed on Wednesday. Several structures have been either damaged or completely destroyed by this fire. The Camarillo Heights area of the county was hit particularly hard with over 80 destroyed homes identified during a survey on Thursday.

Camarillo Heights is located next to the city of Camarillo. Ventura County Fire Department officials said that it is still too early to determine the scope of the damage because inspection teams have not been allowed into the area.