VENTURA, Calif. (CBS News) — Wildfires in Southern California are being powered Tuesday night by very strong Santa Ana winds gusting as high as 80 miles per hour. The fires — in Los Angeles and Ventura counties — have already burned more than 47,000 acres. More than 27,000 people have been evacuated, and more than 3,500 firefighters are on the job.
They’re some of the harshest conditions firefighters have faced in years. Extremely dry, powerful winds roared through Ventura County Monday night. Within hours, a 50-acre fire exploded, and the winds haven’t let up.
“We’re just hoping to keep this from extending into this whole neighborhood,” firefighter Jeff Maurer said.
Also hampering the fight: little or no water pressure on several hillside streets.
“So you just can’t get water out of the hydrant?” CBS News asked Maurer. “Yeah, there’s only a limited amount. You can only get so much,” he said.
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