Evacuations rise in southern California as wildfire spreads

Bloomberg

A wildfire that erupted near Los Angeles has forced up to 8,000 people to flee as the tail end of a powerful windstorm takes its final swing at southern California.
The blaze in Ventura County has ripped through almost 9,000 acres and threatens 2,300 structures, according
to local authorities. Edison International has cut power to 625 nearby homes and businesses to prevent live wires from toppling and sparking more infernos.
“We are in the middle of a big fight,” Ventura County Fire Department Chief Mark Lorenzen said during a news conference. “The end is not yet in sight.”
The Maria fire, in the hills above Camarillo, comes as California recovers from a wildfire season that’s upended much of the state. Utilities have cut electricity to millions of people from Sacramento to San Diego, in some cases for days at a clip, as some of the strongest winds in a decade ripped over power lines and drove flames across hillsides and vineyards.
Southern California Edison said it had re-energised a power line shortly before the start of the Maria fire. The utility had shut power in the area before that due to high winds.
It has filed a report related to the fire with the California Public Utilities Commission, which it is required to do if its equipment may be involved with certain events, spokeswoman Susan Cox said in a telephone interview. The exact origin of the fire is unknown, Cox said.
Edison shares rose 4.3% at the close, the biggest gain in three months.
The new outbreak underscores that wildfire season — which runs through December — still poses a dire threat. While the fierce winds have ebbed in most of the state, gusts in Los Angeles and Ventura counties were raging up to 56 kilometres per hour on November 1, according to the National Weather Service. No rain is forecast for a week, and the chance of blazes remains high.