(AP) — SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — A new wildfire erupted Wednesday in wind-whipped Southern California, forcing the evacuation of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and nearby homes, as both ends of the state struggled with blazes, dangerously gusty weather and deliberate blackouts.
The brush fire broke out just before dawn in the Simi Valley area north of Los Angeles and grew to more than 400 acres (162 hectares), Ventura County officials said. They gave no immediate estimate of how many people were ordered to leave.
Aircraft dropped water and fire retardant on the blaze, and fire officials said the flames were being pushed away from the library by strong Santa Ana winds blowing from inland California toward the coast.
