01:21 Australian Wildfires Caused Devastating Health Issues The massive number of wildfires in Australia at the end of last year, and the start of 2019 not only caused a big last of trees but continuing health issues as well.

At a Glance Several large wildfires continue to burn across Southern California, fanned by Santa Ana winds.

Officials say the state is in for the worst Santa Ana wind conditions it's ever seen.

A wildfire that destroyed at least four homes forced evacuations and the closure of the 405 Freeway near Bel-Air Wednesday morning.

At least 150,000 people have been ordered to evacuate their homes because of the fires.

At least 150 structures have been destroyed.

Officials in California say Santa Ana wind conditions will reach the worst levels the state has ever seen as wildfires continue to rage in the southern part of the Golden State.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Director Kim Pimlott told the Associated Press that Thursday's wind wildfire threat is purple, which means conditions are extremely dangerous and any fires that erupt will burn uncontrollably. The color has never been used before.

In Bel-Air, a wildfire that prompted authorities to order evacuations and shut down both directions of the 405 Freeway grew to 475 acres Wednesday, KABC-TV reports.

The brush fire was spotted in the hills near the 405, not far from the Getty Center, in western Los Angeles. It was not yet known if the museum was in any danger from the so-called Skirball Fire, but northbound lanes of the freeway were closed , KABC-TV said. All lanes have since been reopened.

Several neighborhoods threatened by the blaze were evacuated shortly after it was sparked at around 5 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to the L.A. Police Department.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced that at least four and possibly six homes have been destroyed by the blaze, the Associated Press reports.

"We don't have a good feel on which direction this fire is heading ," Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Margaret Stewart told KTLA.

(MORE: Why California's Wildfires Are Worse in the Fall )

Residents faced a terrifying morning as they had little time to flee their homes in Bel-Air.

"I was going to die in this house ," 83-year-old Beverly Freeman told the L.A. Times. "The flames have never come so close."

Officials at the University of California, Los Angeles canceled Wednesday classes due to traffic snarls caused by the wildfire, AP reports. A scheduled men's basketball game and all other athletic team workouts and practices were also canceled.

Hundreds of firefighters continued their battle Wednesday against five aggressive wildfires that quickly grew out of control in Southern California, fueled by strong Santa Ana winds.

Upwards of 150,000 people have been ordered to evacuate because of the conflagrations, according to AP. The largest of the fires, named the Thomas Fire, was sparked first and has since burned more than 101 square miles – more than twice the size of San Francisco.

Hours later, another fire was reported Tuesday morning in the Kagel Canyon area, east of Ventura and north of Los Angeles. Named the Creek Fire, it quickly burned 17 square miles and threatened homes , according to the L.A. Times.

Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in response to the fires.

Thousands Flee as Inferno Invades Ventura

The Thomas Fire was first reported in the mountains just north of Santa Paula, California, around 6:30 p.m. Monday, about 50 miles west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

The wildfire quickly grew to more than 101 square miles in a little over 24 hours, prompting evacuations in the cities of Santa Paula and Ventura. Evacuation shelters were set up at Nordhoff High School in Ojai and at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

Late Tuesday night, the blaze jumped Highway 101 and continued moving toward the coast. This prompted new evacuations, the AP reported.

Authorities suspect many more homes have been lost beyond the 150 already reported to be destroyed by the fire in Ventura County. An estimated 12,000 homes remain threatened by the inferno.

"The fire growth is just absolutely exponential," Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen told the AP. "All that firefighters can do when we have winds like this is get out ahead, evacuate people and protect structures."

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/thomas-fire-vc-5dec17.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/thomas-fire-vc-5dec17.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/thomas-fire-vc-5dec17.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > An early-morning view of the Thomas Fire in Ventura County, California, on Dec. 5, 2017. (Ventura County Fire Department)

Officials initially said one person was killed in a vehicle crash on a road closed by the wildfire, but authorities later said the report was inaccurate, and only a dog was found dead in the car.

"This fire is very dangerous and spreading rapidly, but we'll continue to attack it with all we've got ," Brown said in a press release. "It's critical residents stay ready and evacuate immediately if told to do so."

The fire had 0 percent perimeter containment, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.

"It's pretty bad. Hasn't been like this. Maybe 15 years is the last time it happened, and that time it burned maybe to the back of the yards – everywhere ," Santa Paula resident Gilbert Acevedo told KABC.

Local media confirmed the Vista del Mar behavioral healthcare facility was destroyed, but all patients were safely evacuated.

"The prospects for containment are not good," said Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen at an early Tuesday morning briefing. "Really, Mother Nature is going to decide."

(MORE: Little Relief in Sight as California's Rainy Season Starts Dry )

About 1,000 firefighters were on the scene, and more were on the way. The Ventura County Fire Department said one firefighter was injured battling the blaze; the L.A. Times said he was hit by a car while protecting homes.

Santa Ana winds up to 50 mph were fanning the flames, pushing the fire's perimeter rapidly toward the west-southwest, toward the Ventura County coast. Spot fires were reported ahead of the main fire perimeter.

The National Weather Service warned Monday afternoon these strong Santa Ana winds, combined with very low humidity, provided an ideal setup for "very rapid fire growth." The strongest and longest-duration Santa Ana winds of the season, so far, were expected to continue through Thursday.

At least 263,000 customers were without power when the fire affected Southern California Edison transmission lines in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, from the cities of Santa Barbara to Oxnard. Most of those outages were restored later Tuesday morning, the company said.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

Ventura is some 60 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The city is home to about 110,000 people.

Creek Fire Burns in Kagel Canyon

Tuesday morning, officials announced a second fire was moving quickly in Southern California. Firefighters responded to the scene of the so-called Creek Fire in Kagel Canyon near Sylmar, and evacuations were ordered.

The blaze has burned 17 square miles since it was first reported around 4 a.m. in the hills near homes off Little Tujunga Canyon Road Tuesday, KABC-TV reports. Officials evacuated 2,500 homes and the 210 Freeway was shut down.

Helicopters were deployed to fight the fire, the report added. The cause of the fire wasn't immediately known.

Rye Fire Grows Quickly in Santa Clarita

A third wildfire was reported later Tuesday morning in the Santa Clarita area. It has since burned more than 7 square miles and shut down a freeway.

First reported at 9:30 a.m. PST Tuesday morning, the so-called Rye Fire is 5 percent contained , according to KABC-TV. The blaze forced officials to shut down both directions of Interstate 5 at State Route 126, the report added. The roadway has since been reopened.

Evacuation orders were underway for those in the Westridge community and residents along Rye Canyon Loop, KABC also said. A power outage has been reported as a result of the fire and the sheriff's office phone system was down due to an influx of calls about the outages.

Santa Clarita is located about 35 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.