Fighting fire without use of planes The Ventura County Fire Department said 140 firefighters are at the scene, but because of the powerful offshore winds − the strongest such event the state has experienced in years − planes that drop fire retardant can't be used.

Officials issued a rare red flag warning for Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Several Southern California counties are under "extremely critical" wildfire warnings as warm, dry temperatures and strong winds create volatile fire conditions. On Wednesday ...