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

The National Weather Service has issued a rare red flag warning of an “extremely hazardous situation” due to the windy, dry conditions that allowed several wildfires to spread quickly. Here’s the latest on two notable fires in the region:

Mountain fire explodes in size

In the five hours after this fire started in Ventura County on Wednesday morning, at least 10 square miles burned, multiplying a much smaller fire in just a few hours. Dubbed the Mountain Fire, it sparked a large response from firefighters who requested multiple helicopters to help drop water on the fire near the Camarillo Heights area.

Governor 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.

“This is as intense as it gets. The hair on the backs of the firefighters’ necks definitely stood on end,” Ventura County Fire Chief Trevor Johnson told reporters Wednesday afternoon.

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Due to the heavy wind gusts of more than 80 kilometers per hour, aircraft were unable to assist. Two people apparently suffered smoke inhalation and were taken to hospitals on Wednesday, fire officials said. No firefighters reported any significant injuries.

The Mountain Fire raged in a region that has seen some of California’s most destructive fires over the years. A thick plume of smoke rose hundreds of feet into the air Wednesday, blanketing entire neighborhoods and limiting visibility for firefighters and evacuees. Aerial footage showed flames consuming homes as embers flew past residential blocks.

Broad road fire burns near Malibu

Another fire raged along the coast near Malibu, but it was much smaller and firefighters appeared to be able to get the blaze under control.

The blaze, dubbed the Broad Fire, forced some in Malibu to evacuate their homes and others were told to take shelter. On Wednesday morning, it burned 50 acres near Malibu Canyon Road and the Pacific Coast Highway.

Two buildings were on fire, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Nearby Pepperdine University said in a social media post that campuses were not threatened and classes continued Wednesday morning.

Southern California utility Edison has preemptively turned off power to more than 65,000 customers, including more than 20,000 in Northern California on Wednesday. Power shutoffs are being considered for more than 200,000 customers because of the risk, the company said on its website.

The NWS said a red flag warning, indicating high fire danger conditions, would remain in effect until 6 p.m. Thursday. Winds were expected to drop significantly Thursday evening, but humidity will remain critically low, forecasters said.

More than 30,000 customers were without power statewide as of early Thursday, including about 3,000 in Ventura County and about 4,000 in Los Angeles County, according to poweroutage.us.

This report uses information from the Associated Press.