OJAI, Calif. — A 700-acre wildfire burned out of control Sunday along the steep, brush-covered hillsides of the Los Padres National Forest, and two campgrounds were evacuated.
Campers left Pine Mountain, about 12 miles northeast of Ojai in Ventura County, as firefighters battled the growing flames in windy, dry weather.
A stretch of scenic Highway 33 was closed and the flames threatened a nearby ranch, said Kathy Good, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Forest Service. No other structures were at risk.
Air tankers, water-dropping helicopters and about 550 firefighters attacked the blaze, which was reported on private land in the National Forest about 3 p.m. Saturday. The cause was under investigation.
Meanwhile, a California Department of Forestry fire chief apologized to San Bernardino residents for losing control of a fire-training exercise that may have sparked a 2,650-acre blaze near homes in the San Bernardino National Forest.
Also, in New Jersey, a forest fire burned across more than 500 acres near a state park on Sunday, threatening about 100 homes and shutting down a 20-mile stretch of the Garden State Parkway.
One house was engulfed in flames. State police said the parkway was closed along the east side of Double Trouble State Park, and several local roads also were shut down.
Berkeley Township Police evacuated the town's Pinewald section, sending residents to a school building. By early evening, fire officials said the main threat was that the flames were burning toward nearby Beachwood.
"We were working in the backyard and we saw all this smoke out there," said Geri Morris, wife of Beachwood Mayor Harold Morris. "My niece called from the back of Beachwood and said, 'Everything's turning black."'
Firefighters' efforts were hindered by 30 mph wind gusts and drought conditions. They initially tried to contain the flames but eventually had to fall back, said Horace Somes, division fire warden for the New Jersey Forest Fire Service.
"May was an average rainfall month, but on top of that we had 12 months of dryness," he said. "We have a fire on our hands we can't fight with normal attack."
About 60 state firefighters and 100 volunteers battled the blaze, using at least three helicopters.
The fire was in central New Jersey near the coast about 50 miles northeast of Atlantic City. The parkway in the area is usually packed on summer weekends with people visiting the shore.