Firefighters, Residents Work to Extinguish Growing Calif. Wildfire

May 4, 2013— -- Wildfires raging through Southern California have tripled in size to 28,000 acres as firefighters work to bring the blazes threatening nearly 4,000 homes under control.

More than 2,000 firefighters and structure protection crews from across the region worked tirelessly to protect buildings, including a naval training facility, from the raging fires in Camarillo, Calif.

Southern California Wildfires Unrestrained

Even residents have joined in to quell the early season flames. Eighteen year-old Brittany Smolarski used a bottle of water and her riding boots to stomp out a sudden spot fire while helping to evacuate horses.

PHOTOS: California Wildfire Grows

"I've never been that close to a fire," Smolarski told "Good Morning America." "That smoke is pretty deadly. I'm trying to protect everything that I can. I don't want my barn to burn up."

Despite its size and speed of growth, the fire that broke out Thursday and quickly moved through the Camarillo Springs area has caused damage to just 15 structures, though it's threatening thousands, the Associated Press reported.

High Winds and Heat Cause Wildfires to Rage in the West

Forecasters anticipate that a shift in the weather will bring cooler winds, allowing crews to make further progress to put out the flames.

Capt. Mike Lindbery of the Ventura County Fire Department told the Associated Press that crews intended to take advantage of lower temperatures and higher humidity.

"That will give us a chance because it's going to really bring that fire activity down quite a bit. I think we will make some significant progress," Lindbery told the AP.