Thousands of California residents faced power outages on Thursday as a fast-growing brush fire in Malibu triggered evacuation orders and strong winds heightened the risk of wildfires across the state.
Separate fires broke out in Azusa, north of Los Angeles, and at Camp Pendleton near San Diego, while utility companies considered further precautionary shutoffs to prevent electrical equipment from sparking fires.
The Malibu blaze grew to more than 100 acres and threatened a Los Angeles County juvenile detention and rehabilitation facility, prompting evacuation orders and warnings across a large stretch of the Santa Monica Mountains. Thick black smoke rose above the hills as firefighters worked to contain the fire.
The National Weather Service forecast stronger wind gusts overnight, raising concerns that the blaze could spread further. Elevated fire danger was expected to persist through Saturday.
Also read: Malibu Bryson Fire: Map, evacuation updates, warning zones as blaze burns near Mulholland Highway
Thousands affected by precautionary power cuts
Pacific Gas and Electric Company reported that nearly 62,000 customers across 26 counties in Northern and Central California had lost electricity after the utility began precautionary shutoffs on Wednesday night.
The company said it had notified around 90,000 customers across 29 counties that they could lose power as hot, dry and windy conditions increased the risk of fires. Potential outages stretched from the Central Coast to the Sierra Nevada foothills and could continue through Saturday afternoon.
In Southern California, Edison said another 65,000 customers in Los Angeles, Kern and Ventura counties had lost power on Thursday. The utility was considering additional public safety power shutoffs that could affect 207,000 customers, including about 105,000 in Ventura County.
Utilities have increasingly used precautionary shutoffs during dangerous weather because electrical equipment has been linked to some of California’s most destructive wildfires.
Also read: Azusa Peak Fire: Map, evacuation updates as wildfire burns in Los Angeles County
Santa Ana winds heighten wildfire risk
Dry, warm northeast winds known as Santa Ana winds were forecast to sweep across Southern California, with the strongest conditions expected from Thursday afternoon through Friday afternoon.
Wind speeds could reach 20 to 40 mph, with gusts of 50 to 70 mph in the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County and the Santa Susana Mountains, mostly in Ventura County, National Weather Service meteorologist Rose Schoenfeld said.
“It’s a pretty widespread event of elevated fire weather, so the whole SoCal region should really be on alert,” Schoenfeld said.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass directed the city’s fire department to deploy personnel and equipment ahead of the winds. The department also requested assistance from the state’s Office of Emergency Services.
Fires trigger evacuations across Southern California
In Azusa, a brush fire burned more than 40 acres and prompted evacuation orders for a neighborhood in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. The orders were later downgraded to warnings, and firefighters stopped the blaze’s forward progress by mid-afternoon.
At Camp Pendleton, a separate fire grew to more than 1.5 square miles, threatening buildings and infrastructure. Evacuation orders in the Las Flores area were lifted by Thursday evening, while officials temporarily closed part of Interstate 5.
The latest fires have renewed concerns following the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, which killed dozens of people. The Palisades Fire killed 12 people, while the Eaton Fire killed 19 and destroyed more than 9,400 homes and businesses.
Although current Santa Ana winds were not expected to reach the intensity recorded during those fires, forecasters warned that hot, dry and windy conditions could allow new blazes to spread rapidly.