A wind-whipped wildfire exploded early Tuesday in Southern California, forcing more than 27,000 people to be evacuated and causing at least one death.
Ventura County Fire officials said The Thomas Fire broke out Monday evening east of Santa Paula, located about 60 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The fire has grown to 31,000 acres with 150 structures destroyed, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.
“The prospects for containment are not good,” Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said at a news conference. “Really Mother Nature is going to decide when we have the ability to put it out”
The Thomas Fire rages on the side of a hill early Tuesday in Ventura County, Calif
(VCFD PIO via Twitter)
Officials said one person has died in an auto accident related to the fire, but did not give any details. One firefighter injury has also been reported, according to officials.
There is zero percent containment of the fire, officials said at a Monday night press conference. A total of 500 firefighters are battling the fire, and power outages have been reported in Santa Paula, Camarillo, Ventura and Santa Barbara.
Southern California Edison said nearly 180,000 customers in the Ventura County area were without service.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered ordered for East Ventura, north of Foothill Road.
(VCFD PIO)
The fire is currently burning chaparral, a brush that has not burned in 20 years. The cause of the fire is undetermined.
Authorities say Ventura, a city of over 100,000 people 12 miles away, is expected to feel the effects of the fire soon. Thomas Aquinas College, a school with about 350 students, has also been evacuated.
Evacuation shelters have been set up at the Miners Building at the Ventura County Fairgrounds and Nordhoff High School, FOX 11 Los Angeles reported.
Residents located outside the evacuation zone watched the blaze shift along the nearby hills overnight, and debated whether they should stay or go.
“I just hope we’re all right,” Taylor Penny told the Los Angeles Times.
The National Weather Service said winds of 43 mph with gusts over 60 mph have been reported in the area, and are expected to continue throughout the day.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
