Fire officials describe harrowing conditions as Southern California wildfire exploded

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fire authorities on Sunday described battling fierce, howling winds and rescuing people in a fast-moving Southern California wildfire that forced thousands of people to flee and destroyed at least 168 structures and damaged 67.

Crews increased containment of the Mountain Fire to 31% in Ventura County northwest of Los Angeles, up from 26% on Sunday morning. The fire's size remains around 32 square miles (about 83 square kilometers).

"I am grateful for the number of lives that were saved and the fact that we have zero reported fatalities," said an emotional Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner at a community meeting Sunday night.

“I know we suffered great damage, but thousands of homes were saved and hundreds of lives were rescued. I know we made mistakes, but we will learn from those mistakes," he said.

Ventura County public safety officials said they prepared for dry, warm and gusty northeast Santa Ana winds. But the fire that broke out Wednesday morning exploded in size with winds gusting at 80 mph (about 130 kph) and embers that flew from orchards 2-1/2 miles (4 kilometers) away to residential neighborhoods around the community of Camarillo.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Inspection teams continue to assess damage.

Firefighters made 136 active rescues, authorities said Sunday.

Evacuation orders were downgraded Saturday to warnings for residents in several areas of Ventura County as winds subsided and firefighters were aided by mild temperatures and low humidity.

Agriculture officials assessing the toll on farmland sown with avocado, citrus and berries estimated the damage at $2.4 million, the Ventura County Star reported.

Another round of northeast winds was expected Tuesday, but humidity should rise and gusts are not forecast to surge as high as those that fanned the fire, National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Walbrun said.

“They’re not going to be nearly as strong as the winds that occurred when this fire started. But for some of you, you’re going to hear that wind and it might trigger you a little bit,” he said.

The region northwest of Los Angeles has seen some of California’s most destructive fires over the years. The Mountain Fire swiftly grew from less than half a square mile (about 1.2 square kilometers) to more than 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) in little more than five hours on Wednesday, with gusts topping 61 mph (98 kph).

Red flag warnings indicating conditions for high fire danger expired in most of the region Thursday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has proclaimed a state of emergency in Ventura County.

Inmate firefighters battle the Mountain Fire at Swanhill Farms in Moorpark, Calif., Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

A firefighter battling the Mountain Fire watches flames from a firing operation burn off vegetation around Swanhill Farms in Moorpark, Calif., Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Louie Gonzalez, foreground, and his mother, Kathy, background center, visit Kathy's home devastated in the Mountain Fire in Camarillo, Calif., Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Tiffany Hobelman leads Koshan from an enclosure at Swanhill Farms as the Mountain Fire burns in Moorpark, Calif., Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

A home burns in the Mountain Fire, Nov. 6, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Firefighters work against the Mountain Fire, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A burned vehicle sits among a destroyed home in the Mountain Fire, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The person who died in the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck packed with explosives outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel was an active-duty U.S. Army soldier, three U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Two law enforcement officials identified the man inside the futuristic-looking pickup truck as Matthew Livelsberger. The officials spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Three U.S. officials said Livelsberger was an active-duty Army member who spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to Army special forces command. The officials also spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details of his service.

The FBI said Thursday in a post on X that it was “conducting law enforcement activity” at a home in Colorado Springs related to Wednesday's explosion but provided no other details.

The explosion of the truck, packed with firework mortars and camp fuel canisters, came hours after 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people before being shot to death by police. That crash was being investigated as a terrorist attack and police believe the driver was not acting alone.

Jabbar, a U.S. Army veteran, also spent time at Fort Bragg but one official said so far there is no overlap in their assignments there.

Seven people nearby suffered minor injuries when the Tesla truck exploded.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday afternoon on X that “we have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself."

"All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion,” Musk wrote.

Authorities know who rented the truck with the Turo app in Colorado, Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Wednesday.

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)