Dozens of homes burned in Southern California and thousands of residents were forced to flee as a fast-spreading wildfire broke out in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles.

The National Weather Service issued a rare “Particularly Hazardous Situation” alert due to windy and dry conditions that allowed several wildfires to spread quickly. Here's the latest information on two notable fires in the region:

Mountain fire explodes in massive size

The Ventura County fire had burned more than 30 square miles of land as of Thursday afternoon, according to CalFire. The fire multiplied from a much smaller blaze just hours after it was ignited Wednesday morning. It was dubbed the “Mountain Fire” and sparked a large response from firefighters, who called in multiple helicopters to drop water on the fire near the Camarillo Heights area.

Gov. Gavin Newsom warned Wednesday that up to 3,500 suburban buildings were at risk. More than 10,000 residents were forced to evacuate as the fire grew and it remained 0% contained.

“​This is as intense as it gets. I’m sure the hairs on the firefighters’ necks stood up,” Ventura County Fire Chief Trevor Johnson told reporters Wednesday afternoon.

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Because of the fierce wind gusts of over 50 miles per hour, aircraft could not help. Two people suffered apparent smoke inhalation and were taken to hospitals Wednesday, fire officials said. None of the firefighters reported any significant injuries.

The Mountain Fire burned in a region that has seen some of California's most devastating fires over the years. A thick cloud of smoke rose several hundred meters into the sky on Wednesday, covering entire neighborhoods and reducing visibility for firefighters and evacuees. Aerial television footage showed flames consuming homes as embers whipped across apartment blocks.

Widespread fire burns near Malibu

Down the coast, another fire was burning near Malibu, but it was much smaller and firefighters appeared to have it under control.

The blaze, dubbed the Broad Fire, forced some in Malibu to evacuate their homes and others were ordered to shelter in place. It burned 50 acres near Malibu Canyon Road and Pacific Coast Highway on Wednesday morning.

According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, two buildings were on fire.

Nearby Pepperdine University said in a social media post that the campus was not threatened and classes would continue Wednesday morning.

Power has been shut off to nearly 70,000 customers in five counties because of the increased risk of wildfires, Southern California Edison said Thursday. More than 250,000 customers are at risk of power outages due to the risk of wildfires, the company said.

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.

Wednesday's wildfires burned in the same areas as other recent devastating infernos, including the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which killed three people and destroyed 1,600 homes near Los Angeles, and the 2017 Thomas Fire, in which more than a thousand homes and other buildings burned in Ventura and surrounding Santa Barbara counties. Edison in Southern California has paid tens of millions of dollars to settle damages after its facilities were blamed for both fires.

The NWS said a red flag warning indicating high fire danger conditions would remain in effect in the Los Angeles area through at least Friday morning. Winds were expected to ease significantly by Thursday night, but humidity would remain critically low, forecasters said.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.