MOORPARK, Calif. — Hundreds of residents fled from a fire Ventura County of more than 8,800 acres on Wednesday as southern California was battered by strong winds as forecasters warned of the potential for “extreme and life-threatening” fires.

Rapid expansion Mountain fire prompted evacuation orders for several communities in an agricultural area near Moorpark and Santa Paula.

Gus Garcia, who owns a ranch south of the fire, said he is waiting to see if conditions change to decide if he should evacuate his horses and cattle. Around 12:30 p.m., his animals were still safe and he was trying to stay away while others got their animals out.

His ranch is surrounded by others with horses and alpacas, and Garcia said his canyon neighbors didn’t seem panicked. “The horse community is gearing up for it because it’s always a possibility here,” he said.

Andrew Dowd, a county fire spokesman, said he did not have details on how many structures were damaged. “There are a number of houses that have been affected by the fire,” he said. “It’s a fast-moving fire.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office, in a statement posted on social media platform X, said multiple state agencies are “all in close communication to coordinate and support the needs of Ventura County.”

The Mountain fire it was mapped at just under 250 acres around 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, and by 1:30 p.m. it was mapped at 8,885 acres.

Extreme wind conditions grounded fixed-wing aircraft due to “very hazardous” conditions caused by gusts exceeding 61 mph, weather service meteorologist Bryan Lewis said. He said pilots could face turbulence that could bring down a plane, as well as limited visibility due to heavy smoke.

Several people were injured and taken to hospitals, the Ventura County Fire Department said. However, it was not immediately clear how they were injured. The fire crossed State Route 118 and spread into the Camarillo Heights neighborhood, prompting additional evacuations.

Details of evacuation zones and road closures were available at www.vcemergency.com. A hotline has been established at (805) 465-6650.

Meanwhile, winds have also fueled a fast-moving wildfire near multimillion-dollar properties along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. Los Angeles County Fire Department crews rushed to contain the blaze near Malibu’s Broad Beach as authorities shut down the famous beachfront road. Residents were urged to shelter in place as aircraft dropped water on the 50-acre fire. It was capped at 15% around 12:30 p.m., with forward progress halted. Firefighters said two structures burned.

As a precaution, tens of thousands of people were without power across the state.

The National Weather Service office in Los Angeles has modified its red flag warning for increased fire danger with a rare “extremely hazardous situation” label.

With forecast gusts between 50 mph and 100 mph and humidity levels as low as 8 percent, parts of Southern California could experience conditions conducive to “extreme and life-threatening” fire behavior through Thursday, the weather service said.

Officials in several counties urged residents to be on the lookout for fast-spreading fires, power outages and downed trees amid the latest round of notorious Santa Ana winds.

A map of the fires in California right now:

Our interactive map below tracks where fires are burning in California and what percentage of them are contained. Click on any fire icon to see more details about the fire in that area.

“Those in the canyon, mountain and hillside communities should be ready to evacuate immediately,” the LA County Office of Emergency Management said on X. Some roads in the canyon were closed as a precaution and fire departments positioned resources in areas prone to fires. .

In Orange County, firefighters said ash and debris had been picked up from the airport fire, which tore through the area earlier this year due to high winds, but no active fires were reported there Wednesday. Gusts tore through coastal towns, snapping tree branches and overturning large trash cans.

Southern California Edison also shut off power to more than 46,000 customers, including more than 12,000 in Los Angeles County on Wednesday. Power outages are expected for more than 200,000 customers because of the risk, the company said on its website.

California utilities have begun shutting down equipment during high winds and extreme fire danger after a series of massive and deadly fires in recent years were sparked by power lines and other infrastructure.

The Broad Fire was burning in the same area where, in 2018, the Woolsey fire killed three people and destroyed 1,600 homes. That blaze was sparked by Edison equipment that burned dry grasslands and burned across the Santa Monica Mountains to the Malibu coast.