MOORPARK, Calif. (AP) — California was hit by fierce winds Wednesday, fueling a fast-spreading wildfire that destroyed dozens of homes and forced hundreds of residents to flee, as forecasters warned of the possibility of “extreme and life-threatening” fires.

The fire exploded in the mountains northwest of Los Angeles, triggering evacuation orders for suburban communities, ranches and agricultural areas near Santa Paula in southern Ventura County. A thick cloud of smoke rose several hundred meters into the sky, covering entire neighborhoods and reducing visibility for firefighters and evacuees.

By 9:15 a.m., the fire's area was mapped at nearly 250 acres (100 hectares), and by 2:45 p.m. it was nearly 42 times larger at over 16 square miles (62 square kilometers).

The erratic winds grounded fixed-wing aircraft due to “very dangerous” conditions caused by gusts of more than 61 miles per hour (98 km/h), weather service meteorologist Bryan Lewis said. He said pilots could encounter turbulence that could cause a plane to crash, as well as reduced visibility through the smoke. Water-dropping helicopters were still flying.

Several people were injured and taken to hospitals, the Ventura County Fire Department said, but it was not immediately clear how they were injured.

Aerial footage from local television stations showed dozens of homes in flames in several neighborhoods as embers whipped from house to house. Other footage showed horses trotting alongside evacuating vehicles and golf carts.

Andrew Dowd, a Ventura County Fire Department spokesman, said he did not have details on how many structures were damaged.

Gus Garcia, who owns a ranch south of the fire, said he is waiting to see if conditions change to decide whether to evacuate his horses and cattle. At around 12:30 p.m. his animals were still safe and he tried to stay out of the way of the others who were taking their livestock out.

His ranch is surrounded by others with horses and alpacas, and Garcia said his neighbors in the canyon didn't seem to be panicking.

“The horse community is preparing for this because it’s always a possibility up here,” he said.

Meanwhile, to the south, Los Angeles County fire crews struggled to contain a wildfire near Malibu's Broad Beach as authorities briefly closed the Pacific Coast Highway as flames burned near millions of dollars' worth of property. Residents were urged to seek shelter as aircraft dropped water on the 20-acre Broad Fire. By 12:30 p.m., 15% was contained and forward movement was halted. According to the fire department, two buildings burned down.

The National Weather Service's office for the Los Angeles region changed its warning of increased fire danger with the rare “particularly hazardous situation” designation, and officials in several counties urged residents to watch for fast-spreading fires, power outages and accidents amid the trees latest round of the infamous Santa Ana winds.

With forecast gusts between 50 mph (80 km/h) and 100 mph (160 km/h) and humidity as low as 8%, conditions that could lead to “extreme and life-threatening” fires could prevail in parts of Southern California through Thursday, it said weather service said.

Forecasters also issued red flag warnings through Thursday from California's central coast across the San Francisco Bay Area to northern counties, where strong winds were also expected.

Utilities in California began shutting down their facilities amid high winds and extreme fire danger after a series of massive and deadly wildfires in recent years sparked by power lines and other infrastructure. As of Wednesday, more than 65,000 customers in Southern California were without power as a precautionary measure, and more than 20,000 in Northern California.

The Broad Fire burned in the same area where the Woolsey Fire killed three people and destroyed 1,600 homes in 2018. This fire was started by Edison appliances that scorched dry grasslands and burned from the Santa Monica Mountains to the coast of Malibu.

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Dazio and Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalists Ryan Pearson in Los Angeles, Amy Taxin in Orange County, California, and Olga Rodriguez in San Francisco contributed to this report.