Brush fires spark in Southern California, prompting evacuation orders

Several brush fires were burning in Southern California on Friday, stoked by hot, windy weather that’s led to some evacuations and tens of thousands of people in the state waking up in the dark after their electricity was turned off.

A blaze in Malibu, a coastal town west of Los Angeles, prompted evacuation orders and warnings for a large swathe of the Santa Monica Mountains. A large cloud of black smoke over the hilltops could be seen on nearby cameras and miles away.

Winds from 32 kph to 56 kph were expected Friday, with gusts forecast to reach 80 kph to 112 kph in some areas, the National Weather Service said.

With humidity levels dropping, “this will favor a critical fire weather threat,” the service said early Friday.

More than 285 firefighters battled the Bryson Fire overnight, which was at 200 acres (80 hectares) on Friday. It had threatened a Los Angeles County juvenile detention and rehabilitative facility, which was evacuated Thursday night. Fire officials planned to give an update Friday morning.

Firefighters worked to contain two other fires that had sparked Thursday afternoon and triggered evacuation orders in the city of Azusa, north of LA, and Camp Pendleton, near San Diego.

More than 170,000 customers in northern, central and southern California were without electricity as of Friday, according to poweroutage.com.

Some of California’s worst wildfires have been sparked by power equipment, and utilities in recent years have begun proactively shutting off power during dry, windy weather in an effort to prevent blazes.

Weather conditions that increase the fire risk were expected to last through Saturday.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who faced criticism for her city’s response to deadly fires in 2025, directed the fire department to deploy personnel and equipment ahead of the winds. The fire department also requested assistance from the state’s office of emergency services.

“It’s a pretty widespread event of elevated fire weather, so the whole SoCal region should really be on alert,” said Rose Schoenfeld, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Dry, warm and gusty northeast winds known as Santa Anas, which blow from the interior of Southern California toward the coast and offshore, were forecast, with the strongest winds expected through Friday afternoon.

The winds could reach 32 to 64 kph, with gusts from 80 to 113 kph, in the San Gabriel mountains in Los Angeles County and the Santa Susana mountains, which are mostly in Ventura County, Schoenfeld said. Elevated, though brief, critical fire weather conditions were also forecast for portions of the Santa Lucia mountains in San Luis Obispo County.

A wind-driven fire in Azusa burned over 40 acres (16 hectares) on Thursday and briefly prompted evacuation orders for a neighbourhood in the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains. Forward progress on the blaze had been stopped by midafternoon.

Farther south, a fire at Camp Pendleton threatened buildings. Evacuation orders were issued in the Las Flores area of the military base and lifted by evening, military officials said in a statement.

In Northern California, some communities in the Sierra Nevada and its foothills began experiencing strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity Wednesday night.

The weather service issued a red flag warning for parts of central and Northern California through Friday morning, saying any fires would spread rapidly. Such warnings are issued when weather conditions create an increased risk of wildfires.

The potential interruption in electricity to customers from the Central Coast to the upper corners of the Sierra Nevada could last through Saturday afternoon, Pacific Gas and Electric Company said.

In Southern California, the Red Flag Warning for the mountainous areas in Ventura and Los Angeles counties was in effect through Friday night.

In January 2025, the Palisades Fire — fanned by Santa Ana winds — ripped through a hillside Los Angeles neighborhood, killing 12 people and destroying mansions with spectacular ocean views. Authorities determined the Palisades Fire was a carryover from another fire that authorities alleged was started intentionally by a 29-year-old man.

Another fire that burned at the same time in the city of Altadena, in Los Angeles County, killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 homes and businesses. That fire was caused by sparks from an idle transmission tower owned by Southern California Edison, officials said.

Schoenfeld said the Santa Ana winds are not going to be as strong as during those fires, when they were gusting 96 to 160 kph.