Ferocious winds that drove the flames and led to chaotic evacuations have calmed somewhat and were not expected to be as powerful during the day.

A mandatory evacuation order is in place after a new fire spread approximately 50 acres on the border of Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Firefighters are battling to control a series of major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed five people, ravaged communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena and sent thousands of people f

With flames driven by hurricane-force winds, “it feels like Armageddon,” said one woman who was forced to evacuate. “It’s just smoke and darkness.”