Woolsey Fire burns more than 98,000 acres, 62 percent contained; firefighter struck by vehicle

(FOX 11) - Fire crews passed the half-way mark Thursday in their fight against the massive Woolsey Fire, and a firefighter battling the blaze was struck by a vehicle in Ventura County.

The firefighter was struck around 12:30 a.m. on Pacific Coast Highway near Dear Creek Road, authorities said. He was airlifted to a hospital in Thousand Oaks with non-life threatening injuries.

The firefighter is a member of a strike team from Washington state helping in the firefight.

Since erupting Nov. 8, the Woolsey Fire has burned 98,362 acres in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, destroying an estimated 548 structures and 157 others damaged, Cal Fire said.

The death toll in the Southern California wildfire went up to three Wednesday after a body was found at a home in the burn zone in Agoura Hills.

An important update from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office:

The mandatory evacuation orders have been lifted for homes adjacent to Pacific Coast Highway (HWY 1) between Las Posas Road and the Ventura / Los Angeles County Line. Residents will be required to provide identification of residence at the Las Posas Road at Pacific Coast Highway road closure to access the area. All canyon roads and state park entrances off Pacific Coast Highway (HWY 1) will remain closed.

Residents living along Deer Creek Road and Yerba Buena Road are still under mandatory evacuation. The following roads will remain closed: -- Las Posas Road @ Pacific Coast Highway (HWY 1) Residents Only -- La Jolla Beach @ Pacific Coast Highway (HWY 1) -- Sycamore Canyon Road @ Pacific Coast Highway (HWY 1) -- Deer Creek Road @ Pacific Coast Highway (HWY 1) -- Yerba Buena Road @ Ellice Street -- Pacific Coast Highway (HWY 1) at the Ventura/LA County Line.

There may be utility outages in the area and Southern California Edison crews will be working to replace power poles along the highway. Residents are asked to exercise caution when returning to your residence.

For detailed incident information please visit www.vcemergency.com or call the incident hotline at 805-465-6650.