California wildfires force evacuations as Santa Ana winds drive fire risk

Multiple wildfires broke out across California on Thursday as the state braced for more days of strong winds and heat that could drive rapid fire growth.

The largest, the Henderson fire, started at Camp Pendleton, a Marine Corps training base in San Diego county, and burned more than 1,000 acres. Evacuations were issued and part of Interstate 5 was briefly closed. Video released by the California department of forestry and fire protection showed a wall of flames and thick black smoke driven by the wind beside the highway. By 6pm Thursday the blaze was 0% contained.

Two brush fires in the Los Angeles area drew evacuation warnings. The Peak fire in Azusa, near the San Gabriel mountains north-east of Los Angeles, started around 1pm and reached 43 acres within two hours; firefighters largely brought it under control and mandatory evacuations were downgraded to warnings. In Malibu, the Bryson fire covered about 80 acres by 6pm, with embers carried by the wind and spreading the flames, Los Angeles fire officials told the Los Angeles Times.

Wind and fire weather

The blazes broke out during a high wind event that has raised fire risk across southern California. The National Weather Service said the Santa Ana winds will last through Saturday and that the chance of extreme fire behaviour could still grow. "A moderate to strong Santa Ana wind will bring widespread strong winds and critical fire weather conditions to much of south-west California," it said in Thursday's forecast.

Winds of 20-40mph (32-64km/h), gusting to 50-70mph, were forecast for the San Gabriel mountains in Los Angeles county and the Santa Susana mountains, mostly in Ventura county. Critical fire weather was also expected in parts of the Santa Lucia mountains in San Luis Obispo county. Fire weather warnings covered parts of central and northern California from Thursday until Friday morning. "It's a pretty widespread event of elevated fire weather, so the whole SoCal region should really be on alert," meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld said.

Power shutoffs and preparations

Nearly 62,000 Pacific Gas and Electric customers in 26 northern California counties had no electricity on Thursday, after the utility began precautionary shutoffs on Wednesday night to reduce the risk of wind-blown power lines starting fires.

Los Angeles fire chief Jaime Moore said staffing had been increased and equipment pre-deployed. "We are asking residents to do their part too," he said. "Clear the streets, have a plan and stay informed." The state office of emergency services has increased coordination and readied resources, spokesperson Chris Dargan said.

El Niño and a hard season ahead

The fires follow a turbulent start to autumn that has brought heatwaves, high surf and flooding. Experts say conditions driven by a potentially historic El Niño in the Pacific will build through the rest of this year and into next, adding to natural hazards and those linked to the human-caused climate crisis.

Kevin McGowan, director of Los Angeles' office of emergency management, urged residents to prepare for more than one danger. "People should continue to prepare not just for one hazard," he said, "but all hazards."

The warnings carry extra weight in Los Angeles county, where Santa Ana winds fed a 2025 firestorm that killed more than 30 people. This week's fires are far smaller, but neighbourhoods are still rebuilding after blazes destroyed more than 16,000 structures, and the burn scars left behind raise the risk of debris flows and landslides if severe storms arrive this winter.

Climate scientist Daniel Swain said on Wednesday that significant fire activity this week would be "somewhat poorly timed" given the El Niño outlook. "We know the likelihood of a wet winter in southern California is now very high," he said. "[Fire] would further raise the stakes."

Source: The Guardian World.