A brush whipped by the Southern California wind fire that exploded over more than 20,000 acres in about 24 hours, destroying homes and prompting mass evacuations, remained out of control Thursday as Gov. Gavin Newsom mobilized state and federal resources to fight the fire.

The governor declared a state of emergency in Ventura County as firefighters struggled to gain the upper hand on the Mountain Fire, which has burned 20,484 acres and destroyed an unspecified number of homes since it broke out near the town of Camarillo. The fire was 5% contained Thursday evening.

The November fire occurred against a backdrop of unusually warm temperatures and strong Santa Ana winds. The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings for Ventura and Los Angeles counties that are expected to remain in effect until at least Friday morning.

Aerial footage of the Los Angeles ABC station KABC showed what appeared to be row after row of destroyed homes in the towns of Camarillo, Moorpark and Somis.

Several people were taken to hospitals to be treated for smoke inhalation and other injuries, Ventura County emergency officials said. Some victims were trapped in their cars as they fled the fast-moving flames, officials said.

At a news conference Thursday evening, Ventura County firefighters said 88 structures were damaged and 132 structures destroyed, the majority of which were homes.

Officials said there were 10 confirmed injuries, most from smoke inhalation and not all were deemed life-threatening.

At least 14,000 people were ordered to evacuate, Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff said.

Newsom announced Wednesday that he had mobilized statewide resources to help fight the fire and had secured a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to make resources available vital to put out the fire.

The California Office of Emergency Services said it had prepositioned 48 pieces of firefighting equipment, nine helicopters and more than 100 personnel in 19 California counties in anticipation of dangerous fire weather forecasts in many coastal and inland areas of California.

“This is a dangerous fire that is spreading quickly and threatening lives,” Newsom said in a statement. “State resources have been mobilized to protect communities, and this federal support from the Biden-Harris Administration will give state and local firefighters the resources they need to save lives and property as they continue to fight against this aggressive fire.”

The Mountain Fire is one of two wind-driven fires that have erupted in Southern California, leading the NWS to issue rare red flag warnings in November for Los Angeles and Ventura counties, warning of an “extreme fire danger” from Malibu to the San Gabriel Mountains. north of Los Angeles, where winds could reach nearly 100 mph.

“A very strong, widespread, and long-duration wind event in Santa Ana will bring extremely critical fire weather conditions to many areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties Wednesday through Thursday,” according to the NWS warning.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation Thursday.

Due to extreme wind conditions, fixed-wing aircraft are unable to assist in firefighting efforts, according to the Ventura Fire Department, which said ground crews, helicopters and mutual aid resources “are actively working to protect lives and property.”

broad fire

A second wildfire broke out in the Malibu area of ​​Los Angeles County on Wednesday – called the Broad Fire – and burned at least 50 acres southwest of South Malibu Canyon Road and the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Malibu, according to CAL Fire.

The fire was 15% contained as of Wednesday evening, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Local firefighters warned residents to prepare for possible evacuations and the PCH was closed in both directions between Webb Way and Corral Canyon.

Wind conditions in Santa Ana

Named after Southern California’s Santa Ana Canyon, the region’s Santa Ana winds bring harsh, dry, hot winds that blow from the desert, drying out vegetation and increasing the risk of wildfires .

The long-duration Santa Ana wind event is expected to peak Wednesday evening, become moderate Thursday, then diminish to light onshore winds Friday.

Northeast winds moving 20 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph are expected in the canyons and passes of Southern California, with stronger winds in the most wind-prone areas.

Another surge of wind is expected to peak through Thursday morning with widespread northeast winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph before weakening significantly Thursday afternoon.