A rapidly spreading wildfire, whipped by gusty winds and extremely dry conditions, forced evacuation of neighborhoods and a state university and closed a stretch of the coast highway northwest of Los Angeles on Thursday.
The fire broke out shortly after 7 a.m. PT and by early afternoon had consumed more than 6,500 acres, according to state and Ventura County fire officials.
California State University-Channel Islands, a school with nearly 5,000 students that opened in 2002, canceled classes for the day because of heavy smoke before county officials ordered the campus evacuated.
The Ventura County Fire Department said it had sent 20 fire engines to the campus to protect buildings.
Tom Kruschke, Ventura County fire spokesman, said flames were approaching apartments on the eastern edge of the university campus. Usa reports
He said that when firefighters first responded, the blaze was confined to one acre of brush by a major highway, U.S. 101, near Thousand Oaks, but that it quickly expanded in size due to dry weather, high temperatures and winds gusting up to 50 miles an hour. Dry desert winds known as Santa Ana winds were blowing heavy smoke westward.
"This is the problem we have: high winds, high temperatures, low humidities, plus the (vegetation) fuels that have been suffering from the drought we've had this winter,'' Kruschke said. "This all adds up to a perfect storm for wildfire.''
Cause of the fire is under investigation, he said.
State officials closed a 10-mile section of the Pacific Coast Highway between Las Posas Road in Ventura County and the Los Angeles County border because of the advancing flames.
The fire broke out shortly after 7 a.m. PT and by early afternoon had consumed more than 6,500 acres, according to state and Ventura County fire officials.
California State University-Channel Islands, a school with nearly 5,000 students that opened in 2002, canceled classes for the day because of heavy smoke before county officials ordered the campus evacuated.
The Ventura County Fire Department said it had sent 20 fire engines to the campus to protect buildings.
Tom Kruschke, Ventura County fire spokesman, said flames were approaching apartments on the eastern edge of the university campus. Usa reports
He said that when firefighters first responded, the blaze was confined to one acre of brush by a major highway, U.S. 101, near Thousand Oaks, but that it quickly expanded in size due to dry weather, high temperatures and winds gusting up to 50 miles an hour. Dry desert winds known as Santa Ana winds were blowing heavy smoke westward.
"This is the problem we have: high winds, high temperatures, low humidities, plus the (vegetation) fuels that have been suffering from the drought we've had this winter,'' Kruschke said. "This all adds up to a perfect storm for wildfire.''
Cause of the fire is under investigation, he said.
State officials closed a 10-mile section of the Pacific Coast Highway between Las Posas Road in Ventura County and the Los Angeles County border because of the advancing flames.