Hundreds flee and homes burn as powerful winds feed wildfires in Southern California

Associated Press

MOORPARK, Calif. (AP) — California is being lashed by powerful winds that fed a fast-moving wildfire that destroyed homes and forced hundreds of residents to flee in Ventura County. The Mountain Fire prompted evacuation orders for multiple communities. The erratic winds grounded fixed-wing aircraft because of dangerous conditions caused by gusts topping 61 mph. Meanwhile, another fire burned near multimillion-dollar properties along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. The National Weather Service has amended its red flag warning for increased fire danger with a rare “particularly dangerous situation” label.