A fire destroyed a home in the Santa Monica Mountains and left power out to hundreds of residents in the Malibu area Thursday morning.
The blaze was reported at the two-story home in the 22300 block of Swenson Drive shortly after midnight and quickly spread to dry brush around the property.
As many as five helicopters were used to help stop the progress of the fire, which scorched about three acres.
Power was out Thursday morning to about 230 customers just west of Las Flores Canyon Road in the eastern Malibu area, according to Southern California Edison. More residents could be impacted later Thursday if gusty winds in the area continue.
An interactive map showing the outage areas can be found on the SCE website.
The cause of the fire was unknown but the blaze sparked amid gusty Santa Ana winds and active red flag conditions in the area.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for the Los Angeles mountain and valley areas, including the Malibu coast, through 6 p.m. Thursday.
Overnight winds were expected to reach 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph before decreasing Thursday afternoon.
A red flag means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring or will occur shortly. “Use extreme caution with anything that can spark a wildfire,” the Weather Service stated.
Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesperson Craig Little urged residents to be familiar with the Ready, Set, Go action plan.
“When we have conditions like this, high winds, high heat and low humidity, it’s always going to be a dynamic situation where you need to evacuate immediately,” Little said.
