Hundreds of firefighters and several helicopters on scene were working under dangerous “red flag” conditions that were expected to continue into Thursday night in most areas, and in the north into the early hours of Friday morning.

Evacuation orders were extended this morning east toward Moorpark to Grimes Canyon Road (23rd Street) and south to E. Los Angeles Avenue (118th Street). Those orders were put in place in anticipation of Santa Ana weakening tonight and a more regular (and less intense) westerly wind picking up, which could push the fire eastward.

To the south, after burning parts of Camarillo Heights, the fire was spotted further ahead, towards the north side of Highway 101. The Camarillo Airport is located just across the 101. See the burned areas, below in red.

About 10,800 electric customers in Ventura County were without power Thursday night. Southern California Edison has established community resource centers at the Arroyo Vista Recreation Center in Moorpark, the Simi Valley Senior Center and the Ventura Beach Marriott that are open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursdays.

The mountain fire broke out Wednesday morning near Balcom Canyon Road and Bradley Road in Somis, and jumped Highway 118 driven by winds capable of gusting to 100 mph in some areas. Numerous homes have been damaged or destroyed in the Camarillo Heights and Camarillo Estates areas, and evacuation orders remain in effect.

Cal Fire is coordinating with the Ventura County and San Luis Obispo County fire departments to battle the flames. The Los Angeles Fire Department sent nearly 100 firefighters to the fire, including at least five strike teams, along with another team that included fire personnel from Beverly Hills, Culver City and Santa Monica. Other local fire departments, including Glendale, are also on scene.

PREVIOUSLY, Wednesday at 6:28 pm: “Firefighters were committed from the beginning to getting people out of their homes and saving lives,” Trevor Johnson, chief of operations for the Ventura County Fire Department, said at a news conference today to discuss the Mountain Fire at northwest of Los Angeles. He said it was “tough firefighting” from the moment emergency personnel arrived on the scene this morning in the area between Moorpark and Somis.

The Mountain Fire is currently at 10,480 acres with 0% containment. According to officials, emergency services have made more than 14,000 contacts to evacuate people from the community. Two civilians were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.

A day after a historic presidential election, all local Los Angeles newscasts focused on coverage of the Mountain Fire, including footage of burning homes, correspondents on the ground, and interviews with evacuees and local officials.

“This is a classic Santa Ana wind event. We have sustained winds over 50 mph with gusts over 80,” said Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner. “All the firefighters in the region, all of our partners: from Los Angeles County, Orange County, Kern County, Santa Barbara County, our partners at CalFire, our partners in law enforcement, the Sheriff “Every helicopter, every fixed-wing plane, everything that we have been able to locate, is here fighting this fire and it is spreading at a dangerous rate.”

A major contributing factor, Gardner said, is those winds. As a result, “this fire has spread more than two and a half miles in front of itself.”