(Bloomberg) -- The Pacific Coast Highway is closed in Malibu as firefighters respond to a wildfire driven by powerful dry winds.
The Broad Fire had burned 50 acres (20 hectares) as of 11 a.m. local time, according to an update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, commonly called Cal Fire. The city of Malibu later reported the fire as inactive. It’s one of two blazes that crews were fighting in the Los Angeles region Wednesday amid gusting seasonal winds, known as the Santa Anas.
The fast-growing Mountain Fire in Ventura County has burned 1,000 acres and is uncontained, forcing evacuations in populated areas northeast of Oxnard. In northern California, crews are also responding to two small brush fires in forested areas near Redding.
The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings for much of California that will extend through Thursday, and utilities across California have cut power to thousands of homes and businesses to reduce the risk of sparking a fire.
“These are pretty exceptional conditions,” said Cal Fire battalion chief Jesse Torres, noting that gusts of up to 100 miles (161 kilometers) per hour are possible at higher elevations near the Mountain Fire Wednesday. “They do occur, just infrequently. But with Santa Ana winds in the fall months, they are not rare anymore.”
--With assistance from John Gittelsohn.
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