The flames tore through 31,000 acres, or 48.4 square miles, in a matter of hours.
As the blaze spread from the hillsides above Santa Paula, down toward the small city and west to Ventura, thousands were forced to flee their homes,150 structures were destroyed and reports continued to come in about others on fire.
"Multiple structures are burning at this time," said Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Rich Macklin about 3:30 a.m. PT.
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He said they wouldn't have information on how many or exactly where those structures were until later Tuesday morning. "I'm sure there are some homes burning," he said.
Earlier, authorities said one person was killed while attempting to leave when a car overturned. A firefighter also was injured, Macklin said. He was taken to a hospital and was reported in stable condition.
 “The fire spread quickly, pushed by heavy east winds toward the west," said Chief Mark Lorenzen of Ventura County (Calif.) Fire Department. ”We’re basically leapfrogging our engines doing structure defense as the fire proceeds."
First reported about 6:20 p.m. PT near Steckel Park, the fire grew from 50 to 100 acres in minutes. Flames quickly jumped Highway 150, which cuts a path from Ojai to Santa Paula, a city of about 35,000 on the eastern end of the Ventura County.
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By 2:30 a.m., the fire had spread to 26,000 acres. 
“The prospects for containment are not good, really Mother   Nature is going to decide when we have the ability to put it out because it is pushing hard," Lorenzen said at a news conference late Monday night. 

'Fast, very dangerous moving fire'

The power went out in Santa Paula, Ventura and cities throughout the county just before 10 p.m., as more neighborhoods were ordered to evacuate.
Authorities knocked on doors and woke people up to tell them to evacuate....................................... Next Don't know.