environment

Southern California brush fires force evacuations as more than 150,000 lose power

• Multiple brush fires burning across Southern California forced evacuations on Thursday and Friday.
• Utilities preemptively shut off electricity to more than 150,000 customers across California, a step The Guardian linked to the role of power equipment in sparking some of the state's worst recent wildfires.
• The Bryson fire in the Santa Monica Mountains above Malibu grew to about 200 acres overnight, with more than 285 firefighters deployed against a blaze that threatened a Los Angeles County juvenile detention facility.
• Firefighters also worked a wind-driven fire of more than 40 acres in Azusa, where forward progress was stopped, and responded to a fire at Camp Pendleton where Las Flores-area evacuation orders were lifted by Thursday evening.
• The National Weather Service warned that Santa Ana winds gusting up to 30 mph were forecast to strengthen through Friday afternoon, saying dropping humidity "will favor a critical fire weather threat."
• Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass directed the city's fire department to deploy personnel and equipment ahead of the winds; the fire department also requested assistance from the state Office of Emergency Services.