Firefighters deployed ground crews overnight yesterday to battle a raging southern California wildfire that nearly tripled in size as it threatened 4,000 homes.
The Springs Fire, near Malibu, 65km west of Los Angeles, grew to 11,300 hectares on Friday morning.
The Ventura County Fire Department said that the blaze was just 20 percent contained.
Aerial operations ended for the night, but ground crews would continue battling the blaze, the department said.
California typically has fires later in the year, but strong winds and temperatures of about 30°C have triggered a series of brushfires this week — including a new one in Glendale, just outside Los Angeles.
In the fire near Malibu, nearly 1,000 firefighters battled wind-fanned flames that have ripped through tinder-dry brush, threatening about 4,000 homes during the day, the fire department said.
Several celebrities, including actors Jamie Foxx and Tom Selleck, live near the evacuating area, according to television reports.
Many of the homes were luxury ranches that had stables housing horses and other animals.
The fire started on Thursday, forcing the closure of a section of the Pacific Coast Highway and a university campus, and reaching a US Navy facility on the coast, reports said.
By Friday, at least 15 homes had been damaged, but none destroyed, the fire department said on its Twitter feed.
More than 950 firefighters were battling the blaze, while in the morning they said it was 10 percent contained.
The fire department initially announced the reopening of the Pacific Coast Highway at the end of the afternoon, but a short time later said it would remain closed due to concern about rockslides.
The operation, aided by firefighters from neighboring areas including Los Angeles, was complicated after winds did an about-turn and pushed the fire back north during the day, forcing further evacuations.
Eight helicopters and six planes were dropping water and fire retardant onto blazing hillsides to protect homes in the area.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft