Growing wildfire threatens hundreds of homes north of Los Angeles

More than 600 households in Ventura County, California, about 70 miles (115km) northwest of Los Angeles, were told to leave as the 10,000-acre wildfire, known as the Thomas Fire, burned dry brush, Ventura County officials said on Twitter.

A rapidly growing wildfire in the foothills north of Los Angeles threatened hundreds of homes on Monday and forced nearby residents and students at a small college to evacuate, officials said.

Flames from a wildfire loom up over a neighbourhood in Santa Paula, Calfornia, Monday. (AP Photo)

More than 600 households in Ventura County, California, about 70 miles (115km) northwest of Los Angeles, were told to leave as the 10,000-acre wildfire, known as the Thomas Fire, burned dry brush, Ventura County officials said on Twitter.

“We’re really just trying to catch it around the edges and just pinching it off as quickly as we possibly can,” Ventura County firefighter Jason Hodge told the Los Angeles Times.

One motorist was killed fleeing the fire, a local ABC affiliate reported. More than 150,000 homes were without power and at least two structures were destroyed, media reported.

Strong winds were pushing the fire toward the cities of Santa Paula and Ventura, where about 140,000 people live, the Ventura County officials said.

The fire was stoked by wind gusts of up to 70 mph (115kmph) that were expected to remain in the area along with low humidity through the week, the National Weather Service forecast.

The 390 students at Thomas Aquinas College were evacuated as a precaution, the school said on Twitter.

Evacuation centers were opened at a high school and the county fairgrounds, media reported.