A Southern California wildfire grew to more than 15 square miles and firefighting crews prepared Friday for another bad day of gusting winds and searing weather.
The fire erupted Thursday in the Camarillo area, damaging 15 homes and a cluster of recreational vehicles in a parking lot. About 2,000 Ventura County homes remained threatened and evacuations remained in force although the fire line edged southwards toward Malibu. It was about 20 miles from the coastal enclave at daybreak.
The blaze was 10 percent contained but the work of more than 900 firefighters and deputies was just beginning, fire officials said.
The weather forecast is for single-digit humidity, highs in the 90s in some areas and winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 45 mph.
Air tankers were expected to resume water and fire retardant drops after daybreak, which showed molten lines of flames along the oceanside ridges and a vast, black charred landscape behind. Few homes were in the immediate area.
The campus of California State University, Channel Islands was evacuated, and classes were canceled through Friday. The school has about 5,000 students.
Topics California Catastrophe Natural Disasters Wildfire Homeowners
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