[WATCH] California wildfire: mass evacuation in Ventura country

Thousands of people were forced to flee their homes in Los Angeles, as a wildfire rips through the region.

The fire took hold in the early evening in southern California’s Ventura county and burned through 10,000 acres within just a few hours.

According to officials, the cities of Ventura and Santa Paula are also threatened.

It was reported that one person died in a road accident whilst trying to flee his home.

So far, two buildings have been destroyed and thousands more are without power, according to reports.

“The fire growth is just absolutely exponential,” said Ventura county Fire Chief Mark Lorenzon.

“All that firefighters can do when we have winds like this is get out ahead, evacuate people and protect structures,” he added.

It is believed that the fire broke out close to Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, some 80km north of Los Angeles, early on Monday morning.

The college said that all 350 students and teachers were evacuated.

Fanned by gusts of wind of up to 70mph, the fire spread rapidly, leading to the evacuation of at least 1,000 homes across the county.

Evacuation centres were opened in fairgrounds and school areas and hundreds of firefighters worked through the night to prevent the fire from spreading to other areas.

In October, at least 13 were killed when fires blazed through northern California’s wine region, with over 2,000 structures and buildings destroyed.