Flames from a wildfire loom up over a neighborhood in Santa Paula, Calf., Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. Ventura County fire officials say the blaze broke out Monday east of Santa Paula, a city of 30,000 people... (Associated Press) 
 
 Flames from a wildfire loom up over a neighborhood in Santa Paula, Calf., Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. Ventura County fire officials say the blaze broke out Monday east of Santa Paula, a city of 30,000 people about 60 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Powerful winds are pushing the blaze west toward... (Associated Press) 
 
 Flames from a wildfire loom up over a neighborhood in Santa Paula, Calf., Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. Ventura County fire officials say the blaze broke out Monday east of Santa Paula, a city of 30,000 people about 60 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Powerful winds are pushing the blaze west toward... (Associated Press) Flames from a wildfire loom up over a neighborhood in Santa Paula, Calf., Monday, Dec. 4, 2017. Ventura County fire officials say the blaze broke out Monday east of Santa Paula, a city of 30,000 people... (Associated Press) 
 
 SANTA PAULA, Calif. (AP) — Ferocious winds in Southern California whipped up an explosive wildfire that forced thousands of homes to evacuate and could soon threaten a city of more than 100,000, authorities said. 
 
 The blaze broke out Monday and grew wildly to more than 15 square miles in the hours that followed, consuming vegetation that hasn't burned in decades, Ventura County Fire Sgt. Eric Buschow said. 
 
 The winds were pushing it toward Santa Paula, a city of some 30,000 people about 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Most of the evacuated homes were in that city. 
 
 Authorities said that the city of Ventura, which is 12 miles southwest and has 106,000 residents, was likely to feel the effects soon. 
 
 "The fire growth is just absolutely exponential," Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said. "All that firefighters can do when we have winds like this is get out ahead, evacuate people, and protect structures." 
 
 Thomas Aquinas College, a school with about 350 students, has also been evacuated, with students going to their own homes or to those of faculty and staff, the college said in a statement. 
 
 One person was killed in an auto accident associated with the fire, officials said. They gave no further details. 
 
 At least two structures have burned so far, sheriff's officials said. 
 
 Winds exceeding 40 mph and gusts over 60 mph have been reported in the area and are expected to continue, the National Weather Service said. 
 
 Firefighters and aircraft from neighboring Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties were pouring in to help, though the darkness and winds forced the grounding of planes late Monday night. 
 
 Thousands of homes were without power in the area. ||||| Southern California wildfires burn homes, close freeways as thousands evacuated 
 
 Image 1 of / 124 Caption Close Southern California wildfires burn homes, close freeways as thousands evacuated 1 / 124 Back to Gallery 
 
 VENTURA — Ferocious Santa Ana winds blew flames across bone-dry grasslands and into neighborhoods, leveling at least 180 structures and forcing tens of thousands to flee, while ensuring that the state’s worst fire season on record would push well into the holidays. 
 
 The Thomas Fire, which broke out around 6:30 p.m. Monday in the foothills near Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula and remained out of control on Tuesday night, swept west and devoured rows of homes, two apartment buildings and a private psychiatric hospital as it raced over grasslands into communities. 
 
 It was the worst of four fires that by late Tuesday had burned more than 66,000 acres in Southern California, prompting Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency in Ventura County as Bay Area fire departments sent reinforcements south. 
 
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 “The prospects for containment are not good,” said Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen at a news conference. “Really, Mother Nature is going to decide.” 
 
 As neighborhoods turned into scenes of vast ruin and freeways closed down, California got a frightening replay of the October infernos in Wine Country that killed 44 people, destroyed 8,900 structures and, like the Thomas Fire, were driven by nighttime windstorms that blasted flames from more rugged areas into communities built along the edge of the wildland. 
 
 By Tuesday morning, the Thomas Fire had burned into Ventura, a city of more than 105,000 residents located about 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles on Highway 101. Vista del Mar Hospital, a private psychiatric facility, burned to the ground after its residents and workers were evacuated, as did 150 buildings, including the pair of apartment complexes. 
 
 More than 1,000 firefighters worked through the night protecting buildings, including City Hall, where the flames reached the parking lot, destroyed a couple of cars and left an adjacent hillside blackened and smoldering. 
 
 “It seemed like a lava flow coming down toward the city,” said Vince Tovey, an electrical inspector for Ventura. 
 
 A firefighter was injured when he was struck by a vehicle during the response to the blaze, said the Ventura County Fire Department. Some 27,000 people were under mandatory evacuation in Ventura, Santa Paula and Ojai, and at least 7,000 more homes were evacuated between Santa Paula and Ventura, a distance of more than 12 miles, officials said. Hundreds of thousands of people lost power. 
 
 In issuing his emergency proclamation to secure state and federal disaster resources, Brown cited the destruction, the threats to critical infrastructure and the high winds. 
 
 “This fire is very dangerous and spreading rapidly, but we’ll continue to attack it with all we’ve got,” Brown said. “It’s critical residents stay ready and evacuate immediately if told to do so.” 
 
 Evacuee Lorie Denis, 56, stared at the devastation late Tuesday morning as firefighters poured water on the blackened hull of the Harbor View Apartments in the foothills above downtown Ventura. 
 
 She had been awakened by a neighbor’s phone call and had time to grab a few possessions from a safe — among them her late husband’s wedding ring and watch — as well as her dog, Carson. She tried to save her neighbor’s two cats but could find only one before a neighbor screamed for her to leave. 
 
 “I thought we were done,” she said. “It was raining fire.” 
 
 Judy Terry, 69, was getting ready for bed Monday night when she got an alert as well as a phone call from her landlord telling her to leave. She got dressed, grabbed her dog, Sweetie, and corralled neighbors into her car for a drive through heavy smoke to the Ventura County Fairgrounds. 
 
 “All I had time to do was get up, get dressed and leave and help others,” said Terry, who with more than 600 others spent the night on a Red Cross cot in what is normally a livestock center, with her Maltese-poodle mix pup by her side. 
 
 As the fire crept near Ventura’s downtown, the wind howled and pieces of palm trees and tumbleweeds blew through the streets as thick brown smoke blanketed the region. Many people wore masks as they walked through the area. 
 
 Burning as well was the Creek Fire in the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles, which started at 3:42 a.m. Tuesday in the Angeles National Forest and spread to more than 11,000 acres. At least 30 homes in Sylmar and Lakeview Terrace were destroyed, thousands of others were evacuated, and two firefighters were injured. 
 
 The Little Mountain Fire broke out about 12:28 p.m. Tuesday on a hill behind a strip mall south of California State University San Bernardino, and spread to 100 acres by the afternoon. The fire injured two people, one critically, and forced closure of northbound Interstate 215, said Eric Sherwin, a spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department. 
 
 The Rye Fire erupted just before 10 a.m. Tuesday about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles, shutting down Interstate 5 in both directions near Santa Clarita. The fire broke out in the Rye Canyon Loop and grew to 5,000 acres by Tuesday afternoon. It was 5 percent contained, while the other fires had no containment. 
 
 Each of the fires was pushed by dry Santa Ana winds, with gusts up to 60 mph. The winds, which originate inland, are similar to the Diablo winds that fueled the wildfires in Northern California. Fire officials said the weather was making it difficult for aircraft and helicopters to fight the blazes. 
 
 “This is mirroring the Tubbs Fire we had to deal with in Northern California,” said Scott McLean, a deputy chief for the state’s Cal Fire agency. “We’re dealing with extreme wind conditions and weather that is extremely dry and (difficult) topography. This is not flat land, and some areas are inaccessible to get equipment to.” 
 
 The Santa Ana winds, which typically occur in the fall, could last as long as 10 days, forecasters said. 
 
 “They’ve died down slightly, but they’re going to increase again (Tuesday) evening, so it’s kind of like a seesaw,” McLean said. “This just shows us that there is no fire season anymore. It’s December. We have fires all year round now.” 
 
 Firefighters in Southern California are used to clusters of wind-driven fires in the fall. In October 2003, Santa Ana winds fed the ruinous Cedar Fire in San Diego County, which consumed 2,820 structures, and the Old Fire, in San Bernardino County, which wiped out 1,003 buildings. 
 
 But fires spread by extreme offshore gusts are rare this time of year — even in Southern California, which is typically warmer and drier during the winter than the rest of the state. Cal Fire anticipated the danger, maintaining staffing on 148 engines and keeping reserve firefighters on duty. 
 
 “We continue to see more and more extreme fires and extreme weather events,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, the Cal Fire director. “The challenges of our changing climate are real. Historically, winter was a time we could regroup, but spending the holiday season on the fire lines is likely to become more the norm.” 
 
 Ventura County has been exceedingly dry in recent months. The area has received 0.13 of an inch of rain since July 1, said the National Weather Service. 
 
 “We had rains last winter that caused all the brush and everything to grow, and throughout the summer they dried out,” said Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Joey Marron. “Now with these winds, any little spark is fuel.” 
 
 A San Francisco Fire Department strike team of 22 firefighters rushed to the Thomas Fire on five engines Tuesday. Fire crews from Marin and Alameda counties, Oakland, Fremont and Hayward were also being sent. 
 
 The winds continued to blow Tuesday as Tovey, the city of Ventura electrical inspector, patrolled the perimeter of the Thomas Fire in his city vehicle, turning back residents trying to reach their homes. 
 
 “One of the downsides living in California,” he said of the wildfire danger. “There aren’t many, but this is one of them.” 
 
 Sophie Haigney, Steve Rubenstein, Peter Fimrite and Jill Tucker are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: sophie.haigney@sfchronicle.com, srubenstein@sfchronicle.com, pfimrite@sfchronicle.com, jtucker@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @SophieHaigney, @SteveRubeSF, @pfimrite, @JillTucker. ||||| A hillside glows with embers as the Thomas fire burns through Los Padres National Forest near Ojai, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (Associated Press) 
 
 A hillside glows with embers as the Thomas fire burns through Los Padres National Forest near Ojai, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 8, 2017. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (Associated Press) 
 
 LOS ANGELES (AP) — As Southern California enters its second week engulfed in flames, fire officials anticipate more growth and danger due to continued strong wind gusts, no rain and decades-old dry vegetation. 
 
 A powerful flare-up on the western edge of the largest and most destructive wildfire sent residents fleeing Sunday, as wind-fanned flames ripped down hillsides toward coastal towns northwest of Los Angeles. New evacuations were ordered as the fire sent up an enormous plume near Montecito and Carpinteria, seaside areas in Santa Barbara County. 
 
 "The winds are kind of squirrely right now," said county fire spokesman Mike Eliason. "Some places the smoke is going straight up in the air, and others it's blowing sideways. Depends on what canyon we're in." 
 
 Southern California's gusty Santa Ana winds have long contributed to some of the region's most disastrous wildfires. They blow from the inland toward the Pacific Ocean, speeding up as they squeeze through mountain passes and canyons. 
 
 Gusts of up to 40 mph (64 kph) are expected through Monday, according to the National Weather Service. 
 
 Containment increased Sunday on other major blazes in Los Angeles, Riverside and San Diego counties. Resources from those fires were diverted to the Santa Barbara foothills to combat the 270-square-mile (699-sq. kilometer) fire that started Dec. 4 in neighboring Ventura County. 
 
 As of late Sunday, the Thomas Fire had destroyed 790 structures and damaged 191. 
 
 Fires are not typical in Southern California this time of year but can break out when dry vegetation and too little rain combine with the Santa Ana winds. Though the state emerged this spring from a yearslong drought, hardly any measurable rain has fallen in the region over the past six months. 
 
 "This is the new normal," Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown warned Saturday after surveying damage from the deadly Ventura fire. The governor and experts said climate change is making wildfires a year-round threat. 
 
 High fire risk is expected to last into January. 
 
 The air thick with acrid smoke, even residents of areas not under evacuation orders took the opportunity to leave, fearing another shutdown of U.S. 101, a key coastal highway that was closed intermittently last week. Officials handed out masks to residents who stayed behind in Montecito, the wealthy hillside enclave that's home to celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bridges and Rob Lowe. 
 
 "Our house is under threat of being burned," Ellen DeGeneres tweeted at midday Sunday. "We just had to evacuate our pets. I'm praying for everyone in our community and thankful to all the incredible firefighters." 
 
 Ojai experienced hazardous levels of smoke at times and officials warned of unhealthy air for large swaths of the region. The South Coast Air Quality Management District urged residents to stay indoors if possible and avoid vigorous outdoor activities. 
 
 In San Diego, which is 130 miles (209 kilometers) to the south, the Lilac Fire was 75 percent contained. The flames erupted suddenly Thursday in the Fallbrook area, known for its avocado groves and horse stables in the rolling hills. 
 
 The fire swept through the San Luis Rey Downs training center, where it killed more than 40 elite thoroughbred race horses, and destroyed more than 100 homes — most of them in a retirement community. Three people were burned trying to escape the fire that continued to smolder Sunday. 
 
 Despite the size and number of wildfires burning in the region, there has only been one confirmed death: A 70-year-old woman, who crashed her car on an evacuation route, is attributed to the fire in Santa Paula, a small city where the Thomas Fire began. 
 
 Most of last week's fires were in places that burned in the past, including one in the ritzy Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel-Air that burned six homes and another in the city's rugged foothills above the community of Sylmar and in Santa Paula. 
 
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 Associated Press writers Elliot Spagat in Fallbrook and Brian Melley and Robert Jablon in Los Angeles contributed to this report. 
 
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 Follow Weber at https://twitter.com/WeberCM . 
 
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 For complete coverage of the California wildfires, click here: https://apnews.com/tag/Wildfires.
– Ferocious winds in Southern California whipped up an explosive wildfire that forced thousands of homes to evacuate and could soon threaten a city of more than 100,000, authorities say. The blaze broke out Monday and grew wildly to more than 15 square miles in the hours that followed, consuming vegetation that hasn't burned in decades, Ventura County Fire Sgt. Eric Buschow says. The winds are pushing it toward Santa Paula, a city of some 30,000 people about 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles, the AP reports. Most of the evacuated homes are in that city. Authorities say that the city of Ventura, which is 12 miles southwest and has 106,000 residents, is likely to feel the effects soon. "The fire growth is just absolutely exponential," Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen says. "All that firefighters can do when we have winds like this is get out ahead, evacuate people, and protect structures." One person was killed in a fire-related car crash and at least two structures have burned so far, officials say. Winds exceeding 40mph and gusts over 60mph are expected to continue, the National Weather Service says. Firefighters and aircraft from neighboring Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties poured in to help, though darkness and winds forced the grounding of planes late Monday night. The Los Angeles Times reports that 260,000 people in the area were without power early Tuesday.