deadline.com/2018/11/malibu-mandatory-evacuation-socal-fires-1202498934/amp/50 engine companies are battling the blaze, which officials described as existing in “extreme, tough” conditions.” Residents near the fires are asking the public to monitor official social media for updates on evacuation orders. Five cities have been evacuated, including Calabasas, Westlake Village, Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills and Malibu. Officials have not put an official total on affected structures, but there are estimates reported of 150-250 structures burned in the fire.
Current weather predictions indicate the current lull in the dry, warm Santa Ana winds is temporary, and will pick up tomorrow, exacerbating the problems faced by firefighters.
UPDATED, 7:30 PM: The 101 freeway, a major north/south corridor, is now closed in both directions near Agoura Hills. More than 20 million people in the state remain under so-called “red flag” warnings, which indicate a combination of dry brush and warm winds spell a particularly dangerous fire potential. An estimated 250,000 people have been evacuated in Southern California and about 150 homes are believed destroyed. So far, the Woolsey fire has 0 percent containment.
UPDATED, 4:59 PM: Authorities have begun to focus firefighting efforts on the Topanga Canyon area as the Woolsey fire has more than doubled in size to 35,000 acres in mere hours. Local news reports say more than a quarter-million people are under evacuation orders and that at least 150 homes have been destroyed.
The latest neighborhood to be threatened in West Hills, where new evacuations are under way. See an updated list of evacuation orders below.
There still is zero containment on that fire as night falls, but Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said at a news conference that the Hill Fire is “holding at about 6,000 acres. “We’re making good progress on it, and we remain optimistic.”
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Thousand Oaks Mayor, whose city was crushed by the mass shooting at a local bar on Wednesday night, noted that no deaths or injuries have been reported in the fires. He noited that “75 percent of Thousand Oaks has been evacuated, adding, “That means some of the folks who were affected by the shooting have been asked to leave their homes.”
Authorities did not give updates on the number of structures lost as they focus on saving lives and property rather than doing damage assessment. Mandatory evacuations remain in place for Malibu, Hidden Hills, Calabasas, Agoura Hills and many nearby neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has declared a state of emergency in California, hours after Governor-elect Gavin Newsom did the same for Los Angeles and Ventura counties. He is active governor with Jerry Brown out of the state. Read Trump’s declaration in full below.
EARLIER UPDATE, 2:15 PM: The National Weather Service just extended its red flag warning for the valley and coastal areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties into Tuesday afternoon. That would mean six consecutive days of warnings as winds tonight are expected to hit 50 MPH.
Meanwhile, authorities now say the Woolsey Fire that is threatening Malibu has exploded to more than 14,000 acres with zero containment. Multiple homes have burned in the cities of Westlake Village and Oak Park, with many others still at risk, and KCBS-TV notes that some homes are burning in Malibu.
The Woolsey Fire jumped the 101 Freeway near Liberty Canyon overnight, and the 101 remains closed in both directions from Reyes Adobe Road in Agoura to Valley Circle Boulevard near Hidden Hills. More than 75,000 homes already have been evacuated, including all of Malibu, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village and the celebrity enclave of Hidden Hills.