Wildfires Outside LA Threaten Homes, Bypass Reagan Library

Firefighter Brett Reed battles a wildfire near a ranch in Simi Valley, Calif., on Oct. 30, 2019. Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP

SIMI VALLEY, Calif.—A wind-whipped outbreak of wildfires outside Los Angeles threatened thousands of homes and horse ranches on Wednesday, Oct. 30, forced the evacuation of elderly patients in wheelchairs and narrowly bypassed the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, protected in part by a buffer zone chewed by goats.

The onslaught came as both ends of the state struggled with blazes, dangerously windy weather and deliberate blackouts.