Forecasters have issued red flag warnings throughout much of Southern California, telling the public that the conditions are presenting a "particularly dangerous situation."
The National Weather Service was warning residents in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties of the potentially dangerous situation. The area is expecting wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph in the mountains and foothills of the two counties, with isolated areas seeing wind gusts of up to 100 mph.
There are also 50 to 70 mph wind gusts expected in wind-prone coastal and valley areas.
The Mountain Fire, northwest of Los Angeles, grew to more than 16 square miles on Wednesday in a matter of hours. It had prompted evacuation orders for more than 10,000 people and was growing "dangerously fast," fire officials said. The high winds limited visibility and grounded fixed-wing fire aircraft.
The fire damaged or destroyed dozens of homes.
Two people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation, according to fire officials.
Cal Fire reported several additional fires on Wednesday that have not yet been contained.
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Winds, combined with humidity levels drop to 8-15%, are creating "highly volatile conditions."
"With the threat of even stronger Santa Ana winds and drier fuels with the Wednesday/Thursday Santa Ana event, there will be an increased risk for long range spotting," the National Weather Service said.
In addition to the red flag warning, the area is also under a high wind warning. Forecasters say that damaging winds could knock out power and make travel difficult. They urged residents to be careful of falling debris.
Kern county firefighters have been requested to assist with operations in the ‘Mountain Fire.'
On Wednesday, it was announced 97 Kern County firefighters would be responding, with off-duty KCFD firefighters returning to work to cover Kern.
According to Governor Gavin Newsom, California has secured a fire management assistance grant from FEMA which will help ensure the availability of vital resources to suppress the ‘Mountain Fire.’
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