A fast-spreading mountain fire causes colleges to close in Southern California

A fast-spreading wildfire in Southern California that has spread to more than 14,000 acres prompted a university in Ventura County to cancel classes and temporarily halt campus operations as authorities struggled to control the blaze.

Cal State University Channel Islands officials said the campus remains safe but that classes were canceled Thursday and Friday because the mountain fire caused “severe disruption” and “significant impacts” to community members. Classes are expected to resume on Tuesday.

The Ventura County Community College District said the Moorpark College, Oxnard College and Ventura College campuses were closed Thursday.

The fire broke out at 8:51 a.m. local time Wednesday in Ventura County, just west of Los Angeles County, and was fueled by what firefighters described as a significant wind event in Santa Ana. It has grown to 14,187 acres, the Ventura County Fire Department said in a post on X early Thursday morning. At least 800 firefighters helped fight the fire.

The cause remains under investigation, according to an incident update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire. It was 0% contained.

The fire department announced on X that numerous buildings were affected by the inferno. An evacuation center has been set up in the Padre Sierra community in Camarillo.

A fire department spokesman said several people were injured and taken to hospitals.

Ventura County Fire Chief Trevor Johnson said the fast-spreading fire was so dangerous that firefighters had to use fire trucks to evacuate residents from the area.

Video from a news helicopter showed burned homes and firefighters trying to put out the flames at another residence. More houses burned across a large area, the video showed.