NewzSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — 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 rapidly spreading 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.
Wind gusts of up to 30 mph (48 kph) were reported early Friday and were forecast to increase, 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 grew to about 200 acres (81 hectares) and 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 150,000 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. Santa Ana winds hit Southern California 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.
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 150,000 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.Santa Ana winds hit Southern CaliforniaLos 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.
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