Homes burned, residents evacuated in California amid ‘life-threatening’ fire conditions
What you need to know
• The Mountain Fire in Ventura County, which began Wednesday morning, burned into neighborhoods, set homes on fire and prompted authorities to send more than 14,000 evacuation notices as it spread to thousands of acres in a matter of hours. Officials said “numerous” structures had been impacted by the flames.
• The fire, which has burned more than 20,400 acres, according to Cal Fire, was driven by potent winds gusting over 60 mph and weather conditions so extreme forecasters issued a rare “particularly dangerous situation” red flag warning for the potential of “life-threatening” fire behavior.
• Bad fire weather is continuing in Southern California. Red flag warnings, which warn of dangerous fire weather conditions, are in place for more than 18 million people, including the Los Angeles area.
Winds to die down as conditions improve for Southern California Friday
Fire conditions are expected to continue to improve across Southern California on Friday after a powerful and long duration Santa Ana Wind Event has brought gusty winds and dangerous fire weather to the region. Those conditions fueled the newly formed Mountain Fire, which has burned over 20,000 acres since Wednesday.
Conditions began to improve on Thursday after winds gusted up to 64 mph Wednesday morning for the Mountain Fire area and kept close to that speed later in the day. The worst of the winds on Thursday occurred in the morning, with sustained winds up to 30 mph and gusts to 40 mph before decreasing through the afternoon, dropping to sustained winds of 10-20 mph with isolated gusts of 20-30 mph.
For the overnight hours, winds across the Mountain Fire have continued to drop and are forecast to remain mostly between 5-10 mph into Friday, with isolated higher gusts remaining possible, a large improvement from earlier this week.
Red flag warnings are continuing to drop across the region as well, with the last of the red flag warnings for the Los Angeles and Ventura County Mountains as well as the Inland Empire and the coastal slopes of the San Bernardino County Mountains expected to drop by Friday 11am PST (1 pm PST). Across the region as a whole, gusts to 40 mph are still possible through Friday morning and will decrease into the afternoon. Gusts will likely decrease to 20-30 mph and humidities will increase, greatly helping firefighters.
10 injuries sustained from the Mountain Fire, mostly from smoke inhalation
There are a total of 10 confirmed injuries from the Mountain Fire, which are mostly related to smoke inhalation and are non-life threatening, Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff said.
The sheriff’s office evacuated 400 homes overall and 250 residents chose to stay, while 800 homes they door-knocked on appeared to already be evacuated, he said.
132 structures destroyed, 88 damaged in Mountain Fire
At least 132 structures are destroyed and 88 are damaged after the Mountain Fire ripped through Ventura County over the last two days, officials said Thursday.
“I was with the sheriff today, and the governor, as we drove around and saw the devastation, and it is truly devastating, and our hearts absolutely break and go out to you,” said Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner.
Ten damage inspection teams are making their way through the area to fully inspect structures in the area, said Ventura County Fire PIO Andy VanSciver. So far, they’ve inspected 298 properties, and are continuing to get through as many as possible, he added.
The fire remains at over 20,400 acres but has gained 5% containment, VanSciver said.
Ventura County officials schedule 6 p.m. PT news conference on Mountain Fire
Officials responding to the Mountain Fire in Southern California will provide another update at 6 p.m. PT.
The Ventura County Fire Department and personnel from the Ventura County sheriff’s emergency services will be briefing on the status of the fire – which is still burning at 20,485 acres with 0% containment.
California governor declares state of emergency related to Mountain Fire
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Thursday in Ventura County, where the Mountain Fire has burned more than 20,400 acres.
“This is a dangerous fire that’s spreading quickly and is threatening lives. California has mobilized state resources, including personnel, engines and aircraft from CAL FIRE and Cal OES, to protect communities as our fire and emergency response teams work around the clock to combat this fire,” Newsom said in a statement. “Stay safe and remain alert for instructions from local authorities as dangerous fire weather conditions continue.”
The state received a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Wednesday, which will help support the firefighting response, the governor’s office said.
Flames are bearing down on Southern California homes. Here's the latest
Fierce winds are driving the growing Mountain Fire over Southern California’s Ventura County, where the blaze has engulfed more than 19,000 acres and charred homes, cars and brittle landscape.
More than 14,000 evacuation notices have been sent to residents, though it is unclear how many people have left, Ventura County Sheriff James Fryhoff said Thursday.
Fire officials are imploring residents to heed evacuation warnings, saying that choosing to stay behind could put rescue crews at risk.
“We see it over and over and over: People have the best intentions to stay and defend their home right up until the time the fire hits their home,” Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said. “And it gets hot, and it gets smoky, you can’t see, you can’t breathe, and you sure as hell can’t defend your home. And then you’re stuck, and then our firefighters have to get in, pull you out.”
Ventura County officials are expected to provide updates in a 6 p.m. PT news conference.
Here’s the latest:
- Fire grows amid extreme conditions: The Mountain Fire leapt to more than 19,600 acres on Thursday, according to CalFire. Its northeast side remains active as it races toward the Santa Clara River. Extreme fire conditions will continue through at least Thursday afternoon and red flag warnings will last through Friday, the National Weather Service said. The fire is being fed by gusty Santa Ana winds and stretches of brush that were dried out by a record-hot summer.
- Homes consumed by flames: CalFire has said “numerous homes” were damaged or destroyed in the Camarillo Heights and Camarillo Estates area, though officials have declined to provide exact numbers. In Camarillo Heights, a KABC reporter counted 83 destroyed homes during a helicopter survey Thursday morning.
- Families have lost everything: Some people fled their neighborhoods Wednesday and returned a day later to find their homes burned and roomfuls of their life’s possessions reduced to ash. “Everything got destroyed,” Camarillo resident Richard Galante told CNN. “We didn’t have time to do anything but leave.”
- Cause still unknown: Investigators are still working to determine what sparked the Mountain Fire, including whether power lines could have been involved, Ventura County Fire Capt. Trevor Johnson said.
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