Fire crews were making progress, but flames continued to "creep and smolder" in Ventura, California. And winds could kick up again.

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.

Some 10,000 people remained under evacuation orders Friday morning as the fire continued to threaten more structures.

Improved weather conditions allowed firefighters to increase containment on the blaze raging northwest of Los Angeles and keep it from growing over the weekend, but residents from about 1,000 evacuated homes still had to stay away.

Southern California is being lashed by powerful winds feeding the Moutain Fire, which destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands to flee.

Padre Serra Parish in Camarillo, California, was designated as an official evacuation site by Ventura County Emergency Services and the American Red Cross.