Video from Southern California of a powerful wildfire that broke out on Monday, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of homes.

In the video, filmed overnight on Heidelberg Avenue in Ventura, the blaze rises up in the distance as a huge plume of smoke dominates the night sky.

Says the filmer in the video: "Neighbours are packing up and out. Our next-door neighbours two doors down left for Simi Valley (in southeast Ventura County) to be with family. We're getting ready to do the same.

"The ash cloud is blowing towards the ocean right now, it's blowing west of us, away, which is helpful.

"A little bit of ash has come down. It's just like a movie."

According to local reports, the fire burned down power lines, causing outages in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties that affected more than a quarter of a million people.

Thomas Fire