Thousands of California residents faced power outages on Thursday as a fast-growing brush fire in Malibu triggered evacuation orders and strong winds heightened the risk of wildfires across the state.
The Malibu blaze grew to more than 100 acres and threatened a Los Angeles County juvenile detention and rehabilitation facility, prompting evacuation orders and warnings across a large stretch of the Santa Monica Mountains. In Azusa, a brush fire burned more than 40 acres and prompted evacuation orders for a neighborhood in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. At Camp Pendleton, a separate fire grew to more than 1.5 square miles, threatening buildings and infrastructure. Evacuation orders in the Las Flores area were lifted by Thursday evening, while officials temporarily closed part of Interstate 5.
Thick black smoke rose above the hills as firefighters worked to contain the fire. The National Weather Service forecast stronger wind gusts overnight, raising concerns that the blaze could spread further. Elevated fire danger was expected to persist through Saturday. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass directed the city’s fire department to deploy personnel and equipment ahead of the winds. The department also requested assistance from the state’s Office of Emergency Services. The orders were later downgraded to warnings, and firefighter s stopped the blaze’s forward progress by mid-afternoon.
