Maaike Maks and her family were shocked to find themselves surrounded by the Solimar wildfire, as they were driving through Ventura County.
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The Emergency Management Department says that snow and powerful winds knocked out power to as many as 60,000 homes and businesses. Warnings were issued for tornadoes in parts of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi.
About 600 area firefighters are battling the blaze and are being assisted by at least two water-dropping helicopters.
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The fire, located about 6 miles northwest of Ventura, was 10 percent contained as of Saturday morning, according to Cal Fire.
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Gurgaon Police Commissioner Navdeep Singh Virk said the police is trying to verify the facts and will solve the matter soon. Police officials say so far no ransom call has been made and they have not even received any formal complaint.
Highway 101 and the Pacific Coast Highway, which is also designated as California Highway 1, are heavily traveled corridors in Ventura County and carry motorists between Los Angeles and central California.
Mark Lorenzen, the Ventura County Fire Department’s chief, said that the fire began Christmas night at 11. Only two firefighters suffered minor injuries, while there were no civilian casualties reported.
The Solimar Beach community was under a mandatory evacuation order, while a voluntary evacuation notice was issued for the neighboring Faria Beach community, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. There will be strong north winds Saturday night, before the winds shift and turn to the northeast on Sunday morning.
Fire officials say the blaze started during high winds when utility poles owned by an oil production company fell. Firefighters would work to monitor the blaze, expected to be less than an acre in size, through the day.
A Red Cross shelter is at the Carpinteria Veteran Memorial, 941 Walnut Ave., Carpinteria.
The Orange County Fire Authority also sent a strike team consisting of 18 firefighters to help battle the fire, said OCFA Capt. Larry Kurtz. It quickly spread along the coast, moving firefighters to shut down U.S. Route 101, known locally as Highway 101, a major freeway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
No structures were damaged, but there were “numerous miscellaneous vegetation fires in and amongst that Solimar community”, Battalion Chief Fred Burris said.
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The fire prompted mandatory evacuations Saturday in Solimar Beach neighborhoods.
