CA Fires: New Blazes Start As Strong Winds Continue

CALIFORNIA — After more than a week of non-stop devastation from wildfires, strong winds fueled new blazes Wednesday and early Thursday in the already fire-ravaged and wind-whipped California. The Golden State remains under a state of emergency as a number of fires have scorched tens of thousands of acres, forced numerous evacuations and caused millions to lose power from mandatory shutoffs.

Although winds have died down in Northern California, a red flag warning remains in effect Thursday for much of Southern California, where most of the new blazes were burning, and at least one destructive fire has turned deadly.

The fastest-growing wildfire in the state on Thursday was the Hillside Fire in San Bernardino. Residents in a neighborhood awoke around 1:40 a.m. to wind-driven flames which burned through multiple structures overnight. By Thursday evening, it had been 50 percent contained at 500 acres.

In Riverside County, two people were killed in an early morning fire Thursday in a community east of Temecula, the Riverside County Fire Department reported. The blaze was first reported around 1:25 a.m. in the 45000 block of Highway 79 in Aguanga.

Also in Riverside County, three homes and several outbuildings were destroyed by a Halloween fire that scorched 300 acres in the Jurupa Valley and Riverside area.

In San Diego County, crews quickly extinguished a small brush fire that erupted Wednesday night off Interstate 805 in Chula Vista. Hours later, another brush fire threatened a mobile home park in Chula Vista. By early Thursday morning, firefighters stopped forward progress of the flames.

The Copper Fire sparked Wednesday night near the base of Otay Mountain, just south of the U.S.-Mexico border. By Thursday morning, the blaze had burned roughly 400 acres south of the border and spread to the U.S. side, scorching about 50 acres of vegetation, Cal Fire reported.

In Ventura County, containment grew on the Easy Fire in Simi Valley, which has scorched more than 1,700 acres, according to Cal Fire. The blaze, which broke out near the 118 Freeway and Madera Street, threatened 7,000 homes homes along with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, but all evacuation orders were lifted Thursday.

More than 26,000 were forced to flee their homes in Simi Valley, Moorpark and Thousand Oaks as the most intense windstorm in a decade blew the flames toward their hillside communities. By midday, several out buildings were destroyed as well as a home on Tierra Rejada, fire officials said. The fire was 10 percent contained Thursday afternoon.

In Northern California, the Kincade Fire is still the largest fire burning in the state, but containment was growing.

SEE ALSO: Kincade Fire's Devastation In Sonoma County In 10 Images

The fire has blackened 77,758 acres, destroyed 349 structures and damaged 55 other structures. Another 1,600 homes remained threatened by the blaze, which forced roughly 185,000 people to evacuate their homes.

The fire ignited northeast of Geyserville in Sonoma County on Oct. 23. As of Thursday evening, the blaze was 65 percent contained.

The Getty Fire sparked before dawn Monday in Los Angeles County on the west side of Sepulveda Pass, where Interstate 405 passes through the Santa Monica Mountains. The fire has scorched a total of 745 acres as of last update Thursday morning and is now 39 percent contained.

The Tick Fire, also in Los Angeles County, broke out Oct. 24 in the Santa Clarita area is now 100 percent contained after burning 4,615 acres, destroying 29 structures and damaging 42 others. Evacuation orders for tens of thousands of residents were lifted over the weekend.

Previous coverage:

• CA Wildfires: Winds Fuel New Fires; Governor Visits Evacuees
• CA Wildfires: Fires Rage As Powerful Winds Return
• CA Wildfires: Evacuations And Statewide Emergency