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The catastrophic torrential rains that overflowed rivers and normally dry canals in eastern Spain last week triggered flash floods that submerged entire communities and killed scores of people. The deluge left behind a landscape of devastation, especially in Valencia, the hardest-hit region. The search for the dead and missing continues, more than a week since the Oct. 29 floods hit — as well as a gargantuan cleanup and recovery effort. Here’s a look at Spain’s deadliest natural disaster of the century, by the numbers: At least 219 people are dead and 93 missing The historic floods caused 219 deaths, 211 of them in the Valencia region alone. Another seven people died in neighboring Castilla La Mancha and one more in southern Andalusia. Ninety-three people have been officially declared missing, but authorities admit that the real number could be higher. Another 54 bodies remain unidentified. In total, 36,605 people have been rescued, according to authorities. The cost of damage is in billions The full extent of the damage is unknown, but Spain’s Consortium for Insurance Compensation, a public-private entity that pays insurance claims for extreme risks like floods, estimates that it will spend at least 3.5 billion euros ($3.8 billion) in compensation. The consortium has received 116,000 insurance claims for flood damage, with 60% of the claims for cars and 31% for homes. Spain’s Association of Insurance Companies anticipates the flooding will break a historic record for payouts. The Transport Ministry has so far repaired 232 kilometers (144 miles) of road and rail tracks but the highspeed train line between Valencia and Madrid is still demolished. The central government has approved a 10.6 billion-euro ($11.6-billion) relief package for families, business and townhalls. The Valencia regional government is asking Madrid for 31 billion euros ($33 billion) in aid as well. Record rainfall set off the disaster The drought that has hit the country for the past two years and record hot temperatures helped magnify the floods, scientists say. Spain's meteorological agency says that 30.4 inches fell in one hour in the Valencian town of Turis, an all-time national record for rainfall set on Oct. 29. The devastated village of Chiva also received more rain in eight hours than the town had experienced in the preceding 20 months. Read: Spain searches for bodies after flood of the century claims at least 95 lives The storms honed in on the Magro and Turia Rivers and the Poyo canal, turning them into swift currents that swept away everything in their path. To the human eye, it looked as if a tsunami-like wave of water and mud cut a swath through the southern outskirts of the city of Valencia. The European Space Agency said that, according to satellite images captured on Oct. 31, water covered an area of 15,633 hectares (38,600 acres). About 190,000 people were directly affected, the agency said. In all, 78 municipalities had at least one resident perish in the floods. More than 17,000 troops and police, and an army of volunteers The emergency operation mobilized by central authorities has grown to more than 17,000 troops and police officers. The operation includes 8,000 soldiers — 2,100 of them belonging to military emergency units specialized in disaster response — along with 9,200 additional police officers from other parts of Spain. Thousands of ordinary citizens volunteered, with no definite estimate as to exactly how many, have helped from day one with the cleanup effort. Read: 51 dead from flash floods in Spain The government said that in the first week after the floods, authorities restored electricity to 147,000 homes and distributed some 178,000 bottles of water to places that were still without drinking water. What we still don't know Spanish authorities have yet to say how many calls about missing people they received, give an estimate of the property damage, or release a calculation of how much land was devastated. And at this point, no one can guess when the recovery effort will be concluded.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday he is re-establishing a special Cabinet committee on Canada-U.S. relations to address his administration's concerns about another Donald Trump presidency. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is also the country's finance minister, will chair the committee, which also will include other top officials including ministers of foreign affairs, public safety and industry. “Following the election of President Donald Trump for a second term, the Cabinet Committee will focus on critical Canada-U.S. issues,” Trudeau's office said in a statement Thursday. Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and 75% of Canada’s exports go to the U.S. During Trump's first time, his move to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, and reports that he was considering a 25% tariff on the auto sector were considered an existential threat in Canada at the time. Trudeau called Trump on Wednesday to congratulate him and the two discussed the new free trade deal Trump reached during his first term with Canada and Mexico, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which replaced NAFTA. Ottawa will soon have to focus on a scheduled review of the agreement in 2026. Although Trump once called Trudeau “weak” and “dishonest” during his first term, ties between the two countries have remained among the closest in the world. Freeland addressed reporters twice on Wednesday in an effort to reassure Canadians. “I know a lot of Canadians are anxious. I want to say with utter sincerity and conviction to Canadians that Canada will be absolutely fine," Freeland said. "We have a strong relationship with the United States. We have a strong relationship with President Trump and his team. Let’s remember that our trading relationship today is governed by the trade deal concluded by President Trump himself and his team," Freeland said. During the recent election campaign, Trump has proposed tariffs of 10% to 20% on foreign goods — and in some speeches has mentioned even higher percentages. Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, said Canada should expect new tariffs and pressure to increase its military budget. According to NATO figures, Canada was estimated to be spending 1.33% of GDP on its military budget in 2023, below the 2% target that NATO countries have set for themselves. Trudeau has said Canada will meet the alliance’s target by 2032. Trump has urged NATO countries to boost their own defense spending to ease the burden on the U.S. to deter the alliance's enemies. “I expect that the free trade deal will be slightly modified as it was during Trump’s first presidency and not dramatically," Wiseman said. "Tariffs will hurt the Canadian economy economy but not cripple it. Canada has some cards to play in negotiations including countervailing tariffs, the concerns of American business leaders, and Canada’s storehouse of critical minerals.” The Canadian government notes the U.S. and Canada are each other’s largest trade partners with nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services crossing the border each day in 2023. The ties between the two countries are without parallel anywhere in the world. There is close co-operation on defense, border security and law enforcement, and a vast overlap in culture, traditions and pastimes — with shared baseball, hockey, basketball and soccer leagues. About 400,000 people cross the world’s longest international border each day and about 800,000 Canadians live in the U.S. Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canadian history and international relations at the University of Toronto, said Canadians should be worried about potential rash actions on tariffs and trade. “How would you feel if old Uncle Donald was feeling whimsical one morning and decided to do … oh, whatever he’d just heard on Fox News?” Bothwell said.

Yemen's Houthi rebels shot down what bystanders described as an American drone early Friday, potentially the latest downing of a U.S. spy drone as the militants continue their attacks on the Red Sea corridor. The U.S. military acknowledged the videos circulating online showing what appeared to be a flaming aircraft dropping out of the sky and a field of burning debris in what those off-camera described as an area of Yemen's al-Jawf province. The military said it was investigating the incident, declining to elaborate further. It wasn't immediately clear what kind of aircraft was shot down in the low-quality night video. The Houthis have surface-to-air missiles capable of downing aircraft such as the Iranian missile known as the 358. Iran denies arming the rebels, though Tehran-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in seaborne shipments heading to Yemen for the Shiite Houthi rebels despite a United Nations arms embargo. The Houthis have been a key component of Iran's self-described “Axis of Resistance" during the Mideast wars that includes Lebanon's Hezbollah, Hamas and other militant groups. The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for downing the aircraft. However, it can take their fighters hours or even days after an incident before they acknowledge it. Since Houthis seized the country’s north and its capital of Sanaa in 2014, the rebels have shot down MQ-9 Reaper drones in Yemen in 2017, 2019, 2023 and 2024. The U.S. military has declined to offer a total figure for the number of drones it has lost during that time. Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The aircraft have been flown by both the U.S. military and the CIA over Yemen for years. The Houthis have targeted more than 90 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels as well. The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the U.K. to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran. The tempo of the Houthi sea attacks also has waxed and waned over the months. In October, the U.S. military unleashed B-2 stealth bombers to target underground bunkers used by the Houthis.

With her selection as President-elect Donald Trump 's incoming White House chief of staff, veteran Florida political strategist Susie Wiles moves from a largely behind-the-scenes role of campaign co-chair to the high-profile position of the president's closest adviser and counsel. She's been in political circles for years. But who is Wiles, the operative set to be the first woman to step into the powerful role of White House chief of staff? She has decades of experience, most of it in Florida The daughter of NFL player and sportscaster Pat Summerall, Wiles worked in the Washington office of New York Rep. Jack Kemp in the 1970s. Following that were stints on Ronald Reagan's campaign and in his White House as a scheduler. Wiles then headed to Florida, where she advised two Jacksonville mayors and worked for Rep. Tillie Fowler. After that came statewide campaigns in rough and tumble Florida politics, with Wiles being credited with helping businessman Rick Scott win the governor's office. After briefly managing Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman's 2012 presidential campaign, she ran Trump's 2016 effort in Florida, when his win in the state helped him clinch the White House. She has a history with Ron DeSantis Two years later, Wiles helped get Ron DeSantis elected as Florida's governor. But the two would develop a rift that eventually led to DeSantis to urge Trump's 2020 campaign to cuts its ties with the strategist, when she was again running the then-president's state campaign. Wiles ultimately went on to lead Trump’s primary campaign against DeSantis and trounced the Florida governor. Trump campaign aides and their outside allies gleefully taunted DeSantis throughout the race — mocking his laugh, the way he ate and accusing him of wearing lifts in his boots — as well as using insider knowledge that many suspected had come from Wiles and others on Trump’s campaign staff who had also worked for DeSantis and had had bad experiences. Wiles had posted just three times on X this year at the time of her announcement. Shortly before DeSantis dropped out of the presidential race in January, Wiles made a rare appearance on social media. She responded to a message that DeSantis had cleared his campaign website of upcoming events with a short but clear message: “Bye, bye.” She shuns the spotlight — most of the time Joining up with Trump's third campaign in its nascent days, Wiles is one of the few top officials to survive an entire Trump campaign and was part of the team that put together a far more professional operation for his third White House bid — even if the former president routinely broke through those guardrails anyway. She largely avoided the spotlight, even refusing to take the mic to speak as Trump celebrated his victory early Wednesday morning. Read: Canada's Trudeau revives a Cabinet-level panel to address concerns about a Trump presidency But she showed she was not above taking on tasks reserved for volunteers. At one of Trump’s appearances in Iowa in July of last year, as the former president posed for pictures with a long line of voters, Wiles grabbed a clipboard and started approaching people waiting to get them to fill out cards committing to caucus for Trump in the leadoff primary contest. “If we leave the conference room after a meeting and somebody leaves trash on the table, Susie’s the person to grab the trash and put it in the trash can,” said Chris LaCivita, who served as campaign co-chair along with Wiles. Another of her three posts on X this year was in the closing days of the campaign, clapping back after billionaire Mark Cuban remarked that Trump didn’t have “strong, intelligent women” in his orbit. After Wiles’ selection as White House chief of staff, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a Trump backer, quipped on X that the president-elect had chosen a “strong, intelligent woman” as his chief of staff. She can control some of Trump's worst impulses Wiles was able to help control Trump’s worst impulses — not by chiding him or lecturing, but by earning his respect and showing him that he was better off when he followed her advice than flouted it. At one point late in the campaign, when Trump gave a widely criticized speech in Pennsylvania in which he strayed from his talking points and suggested he wouldn't mind the media being shot, Wiles came out to stare at him silently. Trump often referenced Wiles on the campaign trail, publicly praising her leadership of what he said he was often told was his “best-run campaign.” “She’s incredible. Incredible,” he said at a Milwaukee rally earlier this month. Will she have staying power? In his first administration, Trump went through four chiefs of staff — including one who served in an acting capacity for a year — in a period of record-setting personnel churn. A chief of staff serves as the president’s confidant, helping to execute an agenda and balancing competing political and policy priorities. They also tend to serve as a gatekeeper, helping determine whom the president spends their time and to whom they speak — an effort under which Trump chafed inside the White House. Trump has repeatedly said he believes the biggest mistake of his first term was hiring the wrong people. He was new to Washington then, he has said, and didn’t know any better. But now, Trump says, he knows the “best people” and those to avoid for jobs.

US Senator Bernie Sanders has issued a harsh critique of the Democratic Party following Kamala Harris’ defeat in the presidential election to Donald Trump. In a statement, Sanders, who aligns with Democrats, criticized the party’s campaign, calling it “disastrous,” reports ABC News. He argued that it should come as no surprise that a Democratic Party which has neglected working-class Americans now faces abandonment by these very voters. “First, it was the white working class, and now it is Latino and Black workers as well,” Sanders said. “While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they’re right,” he added. Sanders, a longtime advocate for progressive policies who sought the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 2016 and 2020., reflected on the continued economic instability faced by Americans, citing issues like income inequality, wealth disparity, and the absence of guaranteed paid family and medical leave, the report said. He also criticized the ongoing military aid to Israel, despite opposition from many Americans. “Today, despite strong opposition from a majority of Americans, we continue to spend billions funding the extremist Netanyahu government's all-out war against the Palestinian people which has led to the horrific humanitarian disaster of mass malnutrition and the starvation of thousands of children,” Sanders said. “Will the big money interests and well-paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn any real lessons from this disastrous campaign? Will they understand the pain and political alienation that tens of millions of Americans are experiencing? Do they have any ideas as to how we can take on the increasingly powerful Oligarchy which has so much economic and political power? Probably not,” Sanders remarked, according to ABC News. He suggested that serious political discussions were now required about the future of those advocating for grassroots democracy and economic justice.

The US and Canada share the world’s longest land border and a trade relationship worth over a trillion dollars, making them deeply interconnected. Following Donald Trump’s election win, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quickly offered congratulations, acknowledging the complexity of the global landscape and expressing a desire to work with the new administration. However, their relationship has been marked by tension in the past, with Trump referring to Trudeau as a "far-left lunatic," while Trudeau mocked Trump at a NATO meeting in 2019, according to a BBC report. Despite the strains, Canada’s political landscape may shift further as Trudeau faces a potential snap election, which could complicate efforts to establish a strong rapport with the Trump administration, says former Canadian diplomat Louise Blais. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland reassured Canadians, emphasising the enduring friendships Canada has with US counterparts and stating that Canada’s prosperity and security remain strong, the report said. Canada’s economy is heavily reliant on trade with the US, with 75% of its exports going south of the border. Trump’s promise of 10% tariffs on imports could significantly affect Canada’s economy. Economist Trevor Tombe raised concerns that such tariffs could reduce Canada’s GDP by $7 billion and weaken the Canadian dollar. Trump has long criticized NATO allies, including Canada, for underfunding defense. Canada currently spends 1.29% of its GDP on defence, far below NATO’s 2% target. Trudeau has promised to reach the target by 2032, but former US Ambassador Kelly Craft argues that this timeline is inadequate. Trump’s previous threats of mass deportations raised concerns in Canada about the potential for increased migration across their shared border. Although Canada closed a loophole in a border pact that allowed asylum seekers to cross at unofficial points like Roxham Road, thousands still attempted to enter in 2017, hoping for a more welcoming environment. With over 8,800 kilometers of undefended border, the challenge of enforcement remains significant, and the potential impact of US immigration policies on Canada could continue to evolve.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President-elect Donald Trump have reiterated their shared commitment to enhancing India-US relations across a range of sectors, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday. During a phone conversation, Modi extended his congratulations to Trump for his “spectacular victory” in the election, which, as he noted, reflected the American people's confidence in Trump’s leadership and vision, according to a report published by The Print. The MEA shared that both leaders pledged to work together to strengthen bilateral ties, particularly in technology, defence, energy, and space, among other areas. Modi later posted on X, describing the exchange with his “friend” Trump as a “great conversation.” "Had a great conversation with my friend, President Donald Trump, congratulating him on his spectacular victory. Looking forward to working closely together once again to further strengthen India-US relations across technology, defence, energy, space and several other sectors," Modi posted on X. Highlighting the importance of the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, the two leaders acknowledged its significance not only for both nations’ citizens but also for global peace and stability.

Several large airstrikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs early Thursday, including one on a site adjacent to Lebanon’s only international airport. The Israeli military had issued an evacuation notice for the site, saying there were Hezbollah facilities there, without giving more details. Also Thursday, the Israeli military announced it expanded its month-old ground operation in northern Gaza to include part of Beit Lahiya, a town that has been heavily bombed since the earliest days of the war, where Israel says Hamas militants have regrouped. Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem said in a speech aired Wednesday that the Lebanese militant group is open for cease-fire negotiations only once “the enemy stops its aggression.” His speech marked the 40-day mourning period since former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated in Beirut. Hezbollah began firing into Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, in solidarity with the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip. Since the conflict erupted, more than 3,000 people have been killed and some 13,600 wounded in Lebanon, the Health Ministry reported. The Israel-Hamas war began after Palestinian militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting 250 others. Israel's military response in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 people, Palestinian health officials say. They do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but say more than half of those killed were women and children.

President Joe Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks to the nation in what will be his first appearance on camera in the aftermath of Donald Trump ’s decisive victory over Kamala Harris. Control over the U.S. House of Representatives hangs in the balance, teetering between a Republican or Democratic majority with dozens of races left to be called. The Republicans won control of the U.S. Senate early Wednesday. Trump’s presidential transition starts now. Here’s how it will work Trump’s impending return to the White House means he’ll want to stand up an entirely new administration from the one that served under President Joe Biden. His team is also pledging that the second won’t look much like the first one Trump established after his 2016 victory. The president-elect now has a 75-day transition period to build out his team before Inauguration Day arrives on Jan. 20. One top item on the to-do list: filling around 4,000 government positions with political appointees, people who are specifically tapped for their jobs by Trump’s team. That includes everyone from the secretary of state and other heads of Cabinet departments to those selected to serve part-time on boards and commissions. Around 1,200 of those presidential appointments require Senate confirmation, which should be easier with the Senate now shifting to Republican control. Neither party has a dominant pathway to House majority The House contests remain a tit-for-tat fight to the finish, with no dominant pathway to the majority for either party. Rarely, if ever, have the two chambers of Congress flipped in opposite directions. Each side is gaining and losing a few seats, including through the redistricting process, which is the routine redrawing of House seat boundary lines. The process reset seats in North Carolina, Louisiana and Alabama. Much of the outcome hinges on the West, particularly in California, where a handful of House seats are being fiercely contested, and mail-in ballots arriving a week after the election will still be counted. Hard-fought races around the “blue dot” in Omaha, Nebraska and in far-flung Alaska are among those being watched. Updates on the last two presidential races left to be called With a win in Wisconsin early Wednesday, Trump cleared the 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the presidency. But his exact margin of victory is still unclear — there are two presidential races that the AP has yet to call: Arizona: Officials in Arizona’s Maricopa County said late Wednesday they’ve got more than 700,000 ballots left to count, which means the races for president and senate were too early to call. In all, AP estimates there are at least a million ballots to be added to the results in Arizona. County election officials are expected to firm up those numbers on Thursday. Nevada: AP estimated late Wednesday evening that there are more than 200,000 ballots left to count in Nevada — including more than 130,000 in Clark County. Given the narrow margins in the races for president and U.S. Senate, both are too early to call. The AP will further review results released by Nevada election officials on Thursday. Decision Desk updates on key Senate races Arizona: Officials in Arizona’s Maricopa County said late Wednesday they’ve got more than 700,000 ballots left to count, which means the races for president and senate were too early to call. In all, AP estimates there are at least a million ballots to be added to the results in Arizona. County election officials are expected to firm up those numbers on Thursday. Nevada: AP estimated late Wednesday evening that there are more than 200,000 ballots left to count in Nevada — including more than 130,000 in Clark County. Given the narrow margins in the races for president and U.S. Senate, both are too early to call. The AP will further review results released by Nevada election officials on Thursday. Control of the US House hangs in the balance with enormous implications for Trump’s agenda The U.S. House majority hung in the balance Wednesday, teetering between Republican control that would usher in a new era of unified GOP governance in Washington or a flip to Democrats as a last line of resistance to a Trump second-term White House agenda. A few individual seats, or even a single one, will determine the outcome. Final tallies will take a while, likely pushing the decision into next week — or beyond. After Republicans swept into the majority in the U.S. Senate by picking up seats in West Virginia, Ohio and Montana, House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted his chamber would fall in line next. “Republicans are poised to have unified government in the White House, Senate and House,” Johnson said Wednesday. Biden will deliver a Rose Garden address at 11 a.m. ET The remarks to the nation will be Biden’s first appearance on camera in the aftermath of Trump’s decisive victory over Harris. How Trump spent his first day as president-elect Donald Trump spent his first day as president-elect receiving congratulatory phone calls from his defeated opponent, world leaders and President Joe Biden as he began the process of turning his election victory into a government. Trump was keeping a low profile, staying out of the public eye after addressing supporters in Florida during the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Vice President Kamala Harris called Trump to concede the race and to congratulate him, while Biden invited the man he ousted from the White House four years ago to an Oval Office meeting to prepare to return the keys. Biden’s chief of staff later Wednesday nudged the Trump team to sign the required federal agreements necessary to begin an orderly presidential transition, a White House official said.

A fast-moving wildfire fueled by heavy winds was tearing through a community northwest of Los Angeles for a second day Thursday after destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands of residents to flee when it exploded in size in only a few hours. The Mountain Fire prompted evacuation orders Wednesday for more than 10,000 people as it threatened 3,500 structures in suburban communities, ranches and agricultural areas around Camarillo, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. The fire was at 0% containment late Wednesday, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. The National Weather Service said a red flag warning, which indicates conditions for high fire danger, would remain in effect until 6 p.m. Thursday. Winds were expected to decrease significantly by Thursday night, the weather service said. Officials in several Southern California counties urged residents to be on watch for fast-spreading blazes, power outages and downed trees amid the latest round of notorious Santa Ana winds. There were more than 30,000 customers without power statewide early Thursday, including about 3,000 in Ventura County and about 4,000 Los Angeles County, according to poweroutage.us. The Mountain Fire was burning in a region that has seen some of California’s most destructive fires over the years. A thick plume of smoke rose hundreds of feet into the sky Wednesday, blanketing whole neighborhoods and limiting visibility for firefighters and evacuees. The fire grew from less than half of a square mile (about 1.2 square kilometers) to more than 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) in little more than five hours. Late Wednesday, it was about 22 square miles (57 square kilometers), the Ventura County Fire Department said in a social media post. Efforts to battle the blaze continued through the night on the ground and with night flying helicopters. At least 800 firefighters were assigned to the blaze and hundreds more were arriving from around the state, the department said. Damage estimates were expected to begin Thursday, but the department said numerous structures were impacted. First responders pleaded with residents to evacuate. Deputies made contact with 14,000 people to urge them to leave as embers spread for miles and sparked new flames. Ventura County Fire Captain Trevor Johnson described crews racing with their engines to homes threatened by the flames to save lives. “This is as intense as it gets. The hair on the back of the firefighters’ neck I’m sure was standing up,” he said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon. Two people suffered apparent smoke inhalation and were taken to hospitals Wednesday, fire officials said. No firefighters reported significant injuries. Officials said they were using all resources, including water-dropping helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft dropping fire retardant, but it was still burning out of control. Andrew Dowd, a Ventura County fire spokesperson, said he did not have details of how many structures had been damaged. Meanwhile to the south, Los Angeles County Fire Department crews were scrambling to contain a wildfire near Malibu’s Broad Beach as authorities briefly shut down the Pacific Coast Highway as flames burned near multimillion-dollar properties. Residents were urged to shelter in place while aircraft dropped water on the 50-acre (20-hectare) Broad Fire. By late Wednesday, the fire was at 60% containment and its forward progress was stopped, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said in a statement. Fire officials said two structures burned. With predicted gusts up to 50 mph (80 kph) and humidity levels as low as 9%, parts of Southern California could experience conditions ripe for “extreme and life-threatening” fire behavior into Thursday, the weather service said. Wind gusts topped 61 mph (98 kph) on Wednesday. Forecasters also issued red flag warnings until Thursday from California's central coast through the San Francisco Bay Area and into counties to the north, where strong winds were also expected. Utilities in California began powering down equipment during high winds and extreme fire danger after a series of massive and deadly wildfires in recent years were sparked by electrical lines and other infrastructure. On Wednesday, more than 65,000 customers in Southern California were without power preventatively, and upwards of 20,000 in Northern California. Wednesday's fires were burning in the same areas of other recent destructive fires, including the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which killed three people and destroyed 1,600 homes near Los Angeles, and the the 2017 Thomas Fire, which destroyed more than a thousand homes and other structures in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Southern California Edison has paid tens of millions of dollars to settle claims after its equipment was blamed for both blazes.