Two Dead in Woolsey Fire as Evacuations Remain in Ventura and L.A. Counties

Updated 1:28 p.m. Saturday

Fire officials say evacuation orders due to two wildfires raging in Southern California are expected to impact about 148,000 people, and structural losses are expected to be significant.

Woolsey Fire

This blaze burning west of Los Angeles ignited Thursday afternoon around 2:30 p.m. in the area of Rocketdyne, south of Simi Valley. It jumped Highway 101 overnight, and by early Friday morning was pushed into Los Angeles County by heavy Santa Ana winds.

On Saturday it was announced two bodies were found in a sparsely populated stretch of Mulholland Highway in Malibu, but Los Angeles County sheriff’s Chief John Benedict offered no further details.

As of 8:00 a.m. Saturday, according to Cal Fire:

Size: 70,000 acresEvacuations: 20,895 homes are under evacuation orders; for full evacuation orders and emergency shelters see the Ventura County Fire Department Emergency Information and county of Los Angeles evacuation information.Damage: No injuries, “many” structures damaged and threatened, according to fire officials.

The Woolsey Fire burns along the ridgeline off Cornell Road near Paramount Ranch on the morning of Nov. 9, 2018 in Agoura Hills. (Matthew Simmons/Getty Images)

https://twitter.com/LACoFireAirOps/status/1061048433094488066

Hill Fire

The Hill Fire, burning to the west of the Woolsey Fire, started Thursday afternoon around 2:00 p.m. but slowed once it reached the footprint of the 2013 Springs Fire.

According to the latest report from Cal Fire Saturday morning:

Size: 4,531 acresContainment: 25 percentEvacuations: About 17,343 residents have been evacuated; full evacuation orders and emergency shelters available from the Ventura County Fire Department.Damage: One firefighter injured, 437 structures have been threatened and none damaged.

A mandatory evacuation order for the entire city of Malibu was initially issued early Friday and then scaled back, but was reinstated city-wide by mid-morning as the fire pushed towards the ocean.

Traffic backed up along the Pacific Coast Highway as residents attempted to leave the wealthy waterfront town. All four lanes were converted to southbound, and no northbound traffic is permitted.

Richardson estimates another 60,000 people will likely have to evacuate because the larger Woolsey Fire jumped U.S. 101 early Friday and is pushing toward the ocean.

Firefighters had hoped to stop the fire’s march south at the Highway 101, but it jumped the freeway as the region’s notorious Santa Ana winds spiked in the early morning hours.

The fire rapidly climbed into the Santa Monica Mountains and raced toward the coast.

“The perimeter is now the Pacific Ocean,” Richardson said.

“The challenges are, number one, competing resources,” he said. “We all know this is the second fire that occurred in Ventura County, and it’s on the heels of what’s happened up in Northern California where they’ve had devastating loss in Butte County.”

Some 2,000 firefighters were battling the flames as helicopters and airplanes made water and fire retardant drops. Richardson said the fire’s pace forced firefighters to focus on life-protection rather than saving structures and he expects that yet-to-be-determined number to be significant. Crews were using the Zuma Beach parking lot as a staging area for large equipment and helicopters, as well as an evacuation spot for large animals.

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom — serving as acting governor as Jerry Brown travels out-of-state — issued a state of emergency on Friday for Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

Forecasters expect a break in the Santa Ana winds on Saturday and then a new round Sunday through Tuesday.

Associated Press contributed to this report.

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