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Evacuations Ordered as Maria Fire Spreads in Southern California

The fire exploded to cover over 4,000 acres in just a few hours atop South Mountain in Ventura County.

A new fire broke out Thursday evening in Southern California, south of Santa Paula, prompting evacuations as the flames exploded to cover over 4,000 acres in just a few hours. Firefighters named the blaze the Maria Fire, which was first reported at about 6:15 p.m. atop South Mountain, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. Authorities said the fire is 0 percent contained as of Thursday night. Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Steve Kaufmann said firefighters are working to contain the fire, which is being fueled west by 20 to 30 mph winds. About 250 firefighters were deployed to the blaze, and many of them were already in the area fighting the nearby Easy fire in Simi Valley, California, which ignited Wednesday. Over a dozen fires have broken out throughout the state in the past week, forcing thousands to evacuate and hundreds of thousands to lose power to prevent additional flames from igniting.