New wildfire breaks out in Ventura County near Los Angeles

A new wildfire has broken out in the Californian city of Oxnard, which is located in Ventura County next to Los Angeles.

The fire began in a dry riverbed late on Monday night and the flames are continuing to burn across the county’s agricultural areas.

It comes as firefighters intensify their efforts to contain the blazes in Los Angeles as forecasts predict the arrival of powerful winds over the next 24 hours.

The winds are predicted to pick up starting early Tuesday and continue through midday Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

The Service warned the weather will be “particularly dangerous” on Tuesday, when wind gusts could reach 105 kph.

They are not expected to reach hurricane-force like last week, but they could ground firefighting aircraft, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said.

Fire officials advised residents in high-risk areas to just leave home, rather than wait for formal evacuation orders, if they sense danger.

On Monday, planes doused homes and hillsides with bright pink fire-retardant chemicals, while crews and fire engines were being placed near particularly vulnerable spots with dry brush vegetation.

‘Ready to face new threat’

Dozens of water trucks rolled in to replenish supplies after hydrants ran dry last week when the two largest fires erupted.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other officials, who have faced criticism over their initial response to the fires that began last week, expressed confidence on Monday that the region was ready to face the new threat with additional firefighters brought in from around the US, as well as Canada and Mexico.

“We’re absolutely better prepared,” LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said when asked what will be different from a week ago, when hurricane-force winds propelled multiple fires across the brush-filled region that hasn’t seen rain in more than eight months.

There have been more than a dozen wildfires in Southern California since 1 January, mostly in the greater Los Angeles area.

The two largest wildfires in the Los Angeles area have destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people.

The Eaton Fire near Pasadena is roughly one-third contained, while the largest blaze in Pacific Palisades on the coast is far less contained.

A large part of Southern California around Los Angeles is under this extreme fire danger warning through Wednesday, including densely populated Thousand Oaks, Northridge and Simi Valley.

Video editor • Abby Chitty