Devastating Wildfire Threatens Hundreds of Homes North of Los Angeles

By Reuters
December 5, 2017 Last Updated: December 5, 2017
Firefighters are battling a fast-moving brush fire, officially named the "Thomas Fire", that has burned at least 500 acres and is threatening homes. (Ventura County Fire Department)

A rapidly growing wildfire in the foothills north of Los Angeles threatened hundreds of homes on Tuesday, forcing nearby residents to evacuate after causing at least one death and power outages throughout the area, officials said.

Some 1,000 households in Ventura County, California, about 70 miles (115 km) northwest of Los Angeles, were told to leave as the 10,000-acre wildfire, known as the Thomas Fire, burned dry brush after erupting earlier in the evening, Ventura County officials said on Twitter.

One motorist was killed fleeing the fire, a local ABC affiliate reported. More than 150,000 homes were without power and at least two structures were destroyed, media reported.

“We got my kids out first,” Melissa Grisales told ABC 7 in Los Angeles. “Pretty scary, really. I didn’t think it was going to come to that, but I am starting to get pretty concerned.”

Strong winds were pushing the fire toward the cities of Santa Paula and Ventura, where about 140,000 people live, the Ventura County officials said.

“We’re really just trying to catch it around the edges and just pinching it off as quickly as we possibly can,” Ventura County firefighter Jason Hodge told the Los Angeles Times.

The fire was stoked by wind gusts of up to 70 mph (115 kph) that were expected to remain in the area along with low humidity through the week, the National Weather Service forecast.

The 390 students at Thomas Aquinas College were evacuated as a precaution, the school said on Twitter.

Evacuation centers were opened at a high school and the county fairgrounds, media reported.