2 weeks Ago By Christopher Bucktin
More than 25 million people have been placed under an “extreme and life-threatening fire behaviour” warning as record-breaking blazes ravaged California . Crews were today battling to get the infernos under control after it destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands of residents to flee when it exploded in size in only a few hours, just weeks after Trump threatened to cut off funding. California Governor Gavin Newsom said the ‘Mountain Fire’ northwest of Los Angeles prompted evacuation orders as it threatened 3,500 structures in suburban communities, ranches, and agricultural areas around Camarillo.
California couple is dropped by long-time home insurer over photo from space 'Most haunted house in America' where dead baby and crying woman still reside At one point, the fire had zero per cent containment, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. America’s National Weather Service said a red flag warning, which indicates conditions for high fire danger, would remain until at least Thursday night. Officials were given some brief hope by forecasters who predicted winds to decrease significantly.
Christina Noren, 50, and her husband Paul Boutin, 62, evacuated their home in Camarillo Heights. They only had time to grab their dog, their laptops, some clothes, toothbrushes and Boutin’s thyroid medication. Boutin has been in remission from thyroid cancer since August but just had a related surgery last week, and the couple was anxious about Boutin inhaling any smoke.
They chose to evacuate to a hotel in Pismo Beach, more than 100 miles away, rather than a closer evacuation centre. DON'T MISS: Protestors take to the streets in Israel after Netanyahu fires Defense Minister North Korea fires most advanced missile yet with help from Russia Apocalyptic images show aftermath of deadly Russian rocket attack in Ukraine “You know, the last thing that he needs is to be breathing smoke for the next two or three days,” said Noren. Officials in several Southern California counties urged residents to be on the lookout for fast-spreading blazes, power outages, and downed trees amid the latest round of notorious Santa Ana winds.
More than 30,000 customers were without power statewide early yesterday, including about 3,000 in Ventura County and about 4,000 in Los Angeles County. The Mountain Fire was burning in a region that has seen some of California ’s most destructive fires over the years. A thick plume of smoke rose hundreds of feet into the sky Wednesday, blanketing whole neighbourhoods and limiting visibility for firefighters and evacuees.
The fire grew from less than half a square mile to more than 16 square miles in less than five hours. Late Wednesday, it was about 22 square miles, the Ventura County Fire Department said in a social media post. Efforts to battle the blaze continued through the night on the ground and with night flying helicopters.
At least 800 firefighters were assigned to the fire and hundreds more were arriving from around the state, the department said. At a rally in Coachella in California last month, Trump threatend to withhold federal funding for wildfires if Governor Newsom did not change his position on water deliveries to farmers. He said: “We’ll force it down his throat and we’ll say, ‘Gavin if you don’t do it, we’re not giving you any of that fire money that we send you all the time for all the forest fires that you have.
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