Ventura County Fire emergency declared as homes burn

Ventura County Fire emergency declared as homes burn

Three major fires are raging in Southern California. The first, the Thomas fire in Ventura County, started last night and exploded overnight. The second, the Creek fire, started at 4 a.m. near Sylmar. A third fire, the Rye fire, erupted in Santa Clarita shortly before 10 a.m. today.

What you need to know about the Ventura fire:

• The Thomas fire has burned 50,000 acres, destroyed at least 150 structures and forced 27,000 people to evacuate | Here are the road closures and evacuation orders
• Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Ventura County this morning
• There was no containment on the fire as of 10 a.m.
• Watch live coverage from KNBC | Follow Times reporters and authorities on Twitter | See photos of the fires | Share your story, photos and video

What you need to know about the Sylmar fire:

• The 11,000-acre Creek fire has prompted evacuations in parts of Sylmar and Lake View Terrace
• The fire broke out off Little Tujunga Canyon Road around 4 a.m. and was threatening homes north of the 210 Freeway
• The California Highway Patrol closed the 210 Freeway in both directions between the 5 and 2 freeways before noon.
• Evacuation centers have been set up at the Sylmar Recreation Center, 13109 Borden Ave., and Sunland Senior Center, 8640 Fenwick St.