More than 130 homes are now known to have been destroyed by a raging wildfire burning outside Los Angeles, as a break in the weather on Friday gave firefighters a chance to bring the blaze under control.
Hurricane-force winds that battered the area this week fuelled an explosion in the Mountain Fire near Camarillo, which rapidly expanded to over 20,000 acres (8,000 hectares).
Thousands of people in the path of the inferno were forced to flee, with some describing how they had only minutes to gather essential possessions and pets as unpredictable flames leapt from house to house.
Linda Fefferman said she knew she had to leave when she smelled smoke.
“I was trying to load the car with animals and important papers, my oxygen concentrator, and when it got too smoky for me, I knew I had to get out,” she told a local broadcaster.
A neighbour with a chainsaw helped remove a fallen tree that was blocking her path, enabling Fefferman to escape.
“I went down to the Goodwill car park and watched the smoke, probably our own house burning.
“Nothing is left. It’s gone,” she said. “It’s all gone.”
Fefferman said she believed 14 or 15 houses on her street alone had been destroyed by the flames.
Threat to critical infrastructure’
Authorities reported on Thursday that initial inspections revealed at least 132 homes had been lost, with another 88 damaged.
The blaze erupted on Wednesday morning and spread rapidly, fanned by fierce seasonal Santa Ana winds blowing in from California’s desert interior.
Gusts of up to 80 miles (130 kilometres) per hour pushed smoke and flames sideways, with terrifying footage showing fire engulfing brush, orchards, and properties.
The winds dropped on Friday, with meteorologists saying they did not expect them to return for several days.
This was welcome news for firefighters, some of whom had been on the frontlines for 36 hours straight, said Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner.
Nevertheless, the blaze remained only seven per cent contained, and the area — home to 30,000 people — was still at risk.
“The fire is burning in steep, rugged terrain with dry, receptive fuels, which have challenged containment efforts,” said an update from Cal Fire.
“The fire remains a threat to critical infrastructure. Islands of unburned fuel will continue to burn within the fire footprint.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom visited the area on Thursday and declared a state of emergency, which should release additional resources.
More than 2,500 personnel were engaged in the firefighting efforts.
Crews on the ground have been defending homes with hose lines and working alongside bulldozers to remove fuel.
Aircraft on Friday dropped water and retardant in an effort to control the blaze.
Utility companies have cut electricity to thousands of customers in the area — a common practice during high winds in California, where fallen power lines are often the cause of wildfires.
Two relatively wet years have left California’s countryside flush with vegetation that is now dry and highly flammable after a long, hot summer.
While fires, drought, and strong winds are all natural features of the local environment, scientists say human-caused climate change is affecting weather patterns and increasing the likelihood of catastrophic events.