Wind

A brush fire that burned more than 10,000 acres in Ventura County is going to gain strength by 8 a.m. as the wind and morning sun begin to bake the hills and valleys, a weather expert said Friday morning. The Springs fire , which started before 7 a.m. Thursday, is 10% contained and has burned from Camarillo south of the 101 Freeway all the way to the Pacific Coast Highway, leaving 15 damaged buildings and several motorhomes destroyed in its wake. On Friday morning, winds continued to push the flames southwest as they did Thursday when single-digit humidity, temperatures in the high 90s and wind gusts of more than 40 mph fed the fire that consumed dry, decades-old brush.

For three years, Brad Cross would rise at 5 a.m. and drive his grandson, Aaron, 53 miles from their home in Rialto to Santa Ana so Aaron could attend Mater Dei High School. He'd drive back to Rialto, then return to pick up Aaron after baseball practice. That's 212 miles a day, five days a week, and helps explain why his 2007 Nissan Sentra has passed 285,000 miles on its odometer. "I hated it, but we had committed to take Aaron to that school," Brad said. Aaron Cross' only sacrifice was listening to his grandfather's collection of oldies music.

Firefighters were using controlled burns late Thursday night to prevent flames from turning back toward homes as a massive wildfire continued to rage out of control in Ventura County. Fire officials said they were concerned that winds blowing out of the west would push the Springs fire toward homes in the Newbury Park area. The blaze had scorched at least 8,000 acres after it broke out Thursday morning near the 101 Freeway in Camarillo Springs. As the fire pushed west toward the Pacific Coast, flames damaged at least 15 homes and threatened another 2,000, the Ventura County Fire Department said.

When Daniel and Leslie Burns returned to to Dos Vientos at mid-morning in a panic, flames 30 feet high were racing down a hill toward their two-story home, pushed by winds gusting up to 40 mph. Friends had already evacuated their dog, said Leslie Burns, a teacher at Moorpark High School. They hurriedly packed photographs, important papers and medications and prepared to flee their home. But then the winds shifted. Erratic, hot winds blew the fire farther south into untouched brush in the hillsides above Newbury Park.

Heavy winds have forced officials to ground air tankers battling the Springs fire in Ventura County. The tankers were considered one of the best tools to slow a wildfire that's burned more than 6,500 acres in a matter of hours, officials said Thursday. With winds above 40 mph and radiant heat from the flames, authorities had to ground four fixed-winged air tankers that drop thousands of gallons of flame retardant on brush in the fire's path. PHOTOS: Camarillo brush fire The only air support available for firefighters at this point is three helicopters that can carry about 300 gallons of water each, said Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Bill Nash.

Mandatory evacuation orders were lifted Thursday evening for some areas where hundreds of people had fled from a massive wildfire in Ventura County that continues to rage out of control. People were being allowed back to Cal State Channel Islands, the Dos Vientos area and Camarillo Springs, where the brush fire began early Thursday, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department said. Hundreds of firefighters, aided by aircraft, bulldozers and hand crews, had the wildfire about 10% contained Thursday evening, authorities said.

A strong Santa Ana wind is fueling the fast-growing Springs fire in Camarillo and Newbury Park, where numerous motor homes were destroyed and hundreds of homes are threatened. Evacuations have been ordered for the Dos Vientos neighborhood of Newbury Park and the Camarillo Springs area of Camarillo. Officials of nearby Cal State Channel Islands said in a tweet Thursday morning that classes and activities had been canceled because of the fire. Students who live on campus were told to contact their housing staff for more information.

Authorities have ordered evacuations for the Dos Vientos neighborhood of Newbury Park as a brush fire continues to grow along the 101 Freeway. The blaze, dubbed the Springs fire, has scorched 2,000 acres and is being fanned by a strong Santa Ana wind, Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Bill Nash said. Firefighters "are making headway along the flanks of the fire," he added, but the main body is moving toward Newbury Park. "We advise anybody in the area to be prepared.

The Southern California wildfire season got off to an ominous start Thursday with a massive brush fire in Ventura County that officials fear is just a preview of dangerous months ahead. The fire showed in dramatic fashion how the region's record dry conditions and lack of rainfall can quickly combine with fierce Santa Ana winds to produce widespread havoc. Firefighters said the dry winter and spring left the brush much more combustible than they've ever seen it at this time of year.