Fire officials say they will dispatch a hazardous materials team to deal with a store of highly toxic pesticides that have caught fire in a massive Southern California wildfire.

David McNew/AFP/Getty Images
David McNew/AFP/Getty Images
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Cpt. Scott Dettorre tells the Ventura County Star the pesticides were stored at the Laguna Farms property near the California State University Channel Islands campus.

Dettorre says nearby residents are being warned to stay out of the smoke.

Ventura County air pollution officials say the smoke and soot are making air quality bad throughout the area.

The blaze erupted during morning rush hour along U.S. 101 in the Camarillo area about 50 miles west of Los Angeles. It quickly charred more than 10 square miles because of winds that have also pushed other damaging blazes across the region.

 

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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