California wildfires - live: Homes destroyed in Laguna Beach area amid mandatory evacuations

A wildfire near Laguna Beach, California, has already destroyed 20 homes and will likely continue to ravage the region throughout the day.

The blaze — called the Coastal Fire — raged through the early morning hours on Thursday, during which time fire crews were dispatched to attempt to stop its advance.

Despite their efforts, by Thursday morning a score of homes — including five multi-million dollar mansions, one of which was listed for $10m — were left in smoldering ruins as the blaze continued to grow to around 200 acres.

The wildfire is the fueled in-part the ongoing drought conditions affecting much of the western and southwestern US. The lack of rain causes regional flora to dry out, which then creates ideal conditions to fuel wildfires.

Fire crews believe the blaze started in the Aliso Woods Canyon, which abuts one of the Laguna neighborhoods. Mandatory evacuation orders have been enacted for parts of Laguna Niguel.

16:52 , Ethan Freedman

The National Weather Service in Los Angeles is warning of increased fire conditions throughout the region over the next few days, as humidity drops and wind speeds increase

16:46 , Ethan Freedman

Satellites from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have captured the smoke pouring out of the fire last night

16:41 , Ethan Freedman

Schools in the Laguna Beach area are still open as usual today, according to the school district

16:39 , Ethan Freedman

Lisa Bartlett, an Orange County supervisor, reports that the county is working toward getting a state emergency declared

16:37 , Ethan Freedman

Captain Virgil Ascunsion from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office estimates that around 900 homes are currently under evacuation

16:35 , Ethan Freedman

McGovern adds that damage inspection teams are currently working in the area

He reports that one firefighter has been injured

16:34 , Ethan Freedman

TJ McGovern from OCFA says that crews have worked through the night and are still out this morning, with no update on containment

16:33 , Ethan Freedman

The Orange County Fire Authority is giving an update on the fire now, streaming live on Facebook

16:30 , Ethan Freedman

Meanwhile, in New Mexico, the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak fire has grown to over 400 square miles – about the size of San Antonio, Texas.

The fire has been burning for weeks now, as crews have worked to protect residents living in and around the Santa Fe National Forest

15:56 , Ethan Freedman

Last night, Chief Fennessy emphasized the role of the climate crisis in creating the conditions for this fire

“We’re seeing spread in ways we haven’t before,” he said, adding that if the vegetation hadn’t been so dry, crews could likely have contained the fire to one or two acres

The fire is now around 200 acres, about the size of 150 American Football fields

15:48 , Ethan Freedman

At a press conference last night, Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy said that there were no known injuries, and around 20 structures destroyed

The fire department will be giving another update at 8:30 AM Pacific Time today

15:44 , Ethan Freedman

Airplane footage shows fire burning in the canyon and areas where fire crews are attempting to contain the fire

Plumes of smoke blot out the sky above Laguna Beach neighborhoods

15:31 , Graig Graziosi

Footage from Laguna Beach shows columns of smoke from the nearby Coastal Fire rising into the sky over the neighborhood.

The fire spread in the early morning hours of Thursday and now includes more than 200 acres.

Welcome to the liveblog

15:29 , Graig Graziosi

Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the Coastal Fire, which is tearing through the ocean-side community of Laguna Beach in southern California.

The fire has grown to 200 acres as responders battle strong ocean winds and drought conditions to get a handle on the fire.