Record heat returns to Southern California after fall-like conditions cause mass evacuations
People rest on the floor of the parking lot of the Mira Loma Prieta Unified School District near the campus in Simi Valley, California, on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2019. A wildfire that began on October 9 has burned more than 549,000 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. (Ben Nelms/The Press-Enterprise via AP) less People rest on the floor of the parking lot of the Mira Loma Prieta Unified School District near the campus in Simi Valley, California, on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2019. A wildfire that began on October 9 has burned more than 549,000 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and… more Photo: AP Photo: AP Photo: AP Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Heat returns to Southern California after fall-like conditions cause mass evacuations 1 / 4 Back to Gallery
A wildfire that started on October 9 has burned more than 549,000 acres of land, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection officials.
The fire burned through Los Angeles County along the Pacific Ocean and was 80% contained as of Wednesday morning, Fire Chief Daryl Osby said.
“It’s something that’s taken a long time to get to this point. There’s a lot of work on both sides of the political aisle to help get that containment and that control up to where we need it to be,” Osby said. “It’s not a short-term, one-time solution.”
Officials initially said the fire had destroyed at least 27 buildings, but later said that number had actually been 31.
About 10% of the fire has burned in the region’s urban areas and the rest has been in Santa Barbara County, where it’s burning at the beach.
Officials said they’re still trying to determine the cause of the fire. Experts are still trying to figure out whether it’s human-caused, weather-related or an act of nature.
More than 5,000 firefighters are on the ground, and about 8,000 more have been dispatched