Southern California fires growing quickly, forcing thousands to evacuate

Ventura, California (CNN)Thousands fled their homes as several incredibly fast-moving brush fires pushed by howling Santa Ana winds scorched parts of Southern California.

"Fires are breaking out across the so. Cal. Region... Be fire safe. Firefighters are working very hard to minimize damage to property. Evacuations are taking place in many places in Southern California," the Ventura County Fire Department tweeted.
By Tuesday afternoon, none of the biggest blaze had been contained and it had grown to 50,000 acres -- about 78 square miles -- in just 19 hours.
Some homes were ablaze in the northern part of Ventura, a city of more than 100,000 on the Pacific coast.