High wind drove a wildfire into the city of Ventura, Calif., early Tuesday, razing about 150 structures and forcing 27,000 people to evacuate, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Winds gusted around 50 miles per hour as the fire lit parts of the city, burning a quarter of a mile away from Ventura City Hall and completely collapsing at least one apartment building. Firefighters face a blaze nearly impossible to contain until the wind settles down or changes direction.
“The prospects for containment are not good,” Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said. “Really, Mother Nature is going to decide.”
The fire has burned 31,000 acres, about 50 square miles, and had knocked out power to 260,000 customers, at one point. Power was restored quickly to all but 20,000 homes and businesses, according to CNN.
No fatalities have been reported. A car crash site was found, but nobody was found in the overturned car. One firefighter has been injured, however, according to The Sacramento Bee.
Winds are projected to continue through Thursday.
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