Thousands were forced to flee their homes on Monday as firefighters battled a fast-moving wildfire in Southern California that had charred at least 45,000 acres of land, authorities said. Intensified by strong winds and harsh weather conditions, the fire was impacting structures in downtown Ventura early Tuesday morning, with multiple residential homes on fire near City Hall. Emergency officials had originally said a person had died in the fire but later clarified that a dog was killed.
About 650 residents were under mandatory evacuation in Ventura County as the wildfires moved southwest toward the coast. Officials said several thousand homes in nearby areas had been evacuated due to the fire, although they cautioned that was a rough estimate.