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    • Mountain fire forces thousands to flee, destroys homes
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    Mountain fire forces thousands to flee, destroys homes

    Pabio Posted on

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    A “dangerously fast-moving” wildfire exploded during a windstorm in Santa Ana Wednesday morning, devastating miles of local hillsides, destroying homes and forcing thousands to flee as the blaze spread. extended over 14,000 acres.

    Santa Ana winds gusted to more than 80 mph when the mountain fire erupted shortly before 9 a.m. in extremely dry brush on South Mountain, near the 7900 block of Balcom Canyon Road in the Somis area .

    The hills near the junction with Bixby Road are dotted with ranch properties. The fire spread west toward the Saticoy Hills and south toward Highway 118, where it reached agricultural fields north of the highway.

    “Bushes are burning, grass is burning, hedges are burning, farm fields are burning and structures are burning,” Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said Wednesday. “This fire is spreading dangerously quickly.”

    Before noon, the fire had traveled approximately 2.5 miles across the 118 in the Camarillo Heights neighborhood, creating a distinct fire island to the south in and around Camarillo. There, where large homes dot the hills around the Spanish Hills Club, Sterling Hills Golf Club and Las Posas Country Club, flames were seen engulfing several residences.

    Fire crews were sent to homes to help those unable to evacuate as the flames approached. Some traffic lights were out, disrupting traffic as residents tried to leave.

    “Firefighters were immediately operational to get people out of their homes and save lives,” said County Fire Capt. Trevor Johnson, chief of operations on the fire.

    As of Thursday morning, the fire was not contained and authorities had not yet released the number of structures damaged and destroyed. Two people were transported to a local hospital due to smoke inhalation, firefighters said.

    The cause of the fire was still under investigation Wednesday evening.

    Evacuations ordered as flames spread to neighborhoods

    Authorities issued evacuation orders Wednesday and early Thursday, affecting thousands of residents.

    As of Thursday morning, the boundaries included a swath from South Mountain Road, south of Santa Paula, to Balcom Canyon Road, to the 118 in Somis, to the east. On the south side, the order swept up to Highway 101 west of Central Avenue in and around Camarillo. The northwest corner included the rural Saticoy Hills around the Saticoy Country Club.

    An evacuation warning also covered a sparsely populated section of South Mountain, south of the Santa Clara River. A previous evacuation notice in east Ventura, around the junction of Highway 126 and Wells Road, had been lifted.

    Firefighters from Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Kern and Orange counties as well as Cal Fire responded to assist. Personnel from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies also converged on the area to assist.

    “Every helicopter, every fixed-wing plane, everything we could get our hands on is here fighting this fire,” Gardner said at a news conference. “It’s spreading at a dangerous rate. This fire has spread more than two and a half miles ahead.”

    He urged anyone invited to leave. This isn’t a fire you can wait to see what happens, he said.

    As winds carried embers far ahead of the fire front, crews used everything from overhead infrared technology to firefighters standing on rooftops to spot any new starts.

    Fixed-wing planes were grounded from the start because wind conditions made retardant drops impossible, authorities said. Later, some drops were possible.

    “We continue to look for opportunities to use this to our advantage,” Johnson said.

    Residents flee fires

    A temporary evacuation zone has been set up at Padre Serra Parish in Camarillo. The Red Cross had a trailer carrying cots and food on standby if needed, said David Wagner, a spokesman for the organization.

    By noon, more than two dozen horses and a dozen goats had been evacuated to the Ventura County Fairgrounds. We expected more.

    Nancy Reeves was on a Somis ranch about 2 miles from the fire. She thought it would go through the property.

    “Then the wind shifted and it came right at us,” said Reeves, who brought nine horses to the fairgrounds.

    Livestock evacuations were coordinated by Ventura County Animal Services. A volunteer livestock rescue team was also activated. Dogs, cats, rabbits and other small animals can be taken to the Aviation Drive Animal Shelter in Camarillo.

    Schools close; air alert issued

    Ventura County schools closed Thursday because of the fire.

    Dozens of school districts and individual campuses, serving more than 70,000 students, had announced closures, according to a list compiled by the Ventura County Office of Education. The list included campuses in Ventura, Santa Paula, Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo.

    The Santa Paula Unified School District, Mesa Union School District and ACE Charter School also announced they would be closed Friday.

    Camarillo Heights Elementary School was evacuated shortly after noon and students were taken by bus to Monte Vista Middle School, part of the Pleasant Valley School District. The district reported no injuries or property damage as of early this afternoon.

    The Ventura County Air Pollution Control District issued an air quality alert as smoke moved into Camarillo and Oxnard on Wednesday.

    Smoke and ash from wildfires can damage the heart and lungs, officials said. The agency recommended residents in these areas stay indoors as much as possible, close windows and doors and run air conditioners in homes and cars in recirculation mode.

    Authorities warn of dangerous conditions

    The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warningtriggered when conditions could allow fires to ignite easily and spread quickly.

    The agency categorized the warning as a “particularly dangerous situation” with humidity levels expected to plummet and Santa Ana winds gusting up to 80 mph.

    While winds were expected to peak Wednesday, conditions are expected to remain dry and gusty through Thursday. Humidity levels could drop near single digits again. The red flag warning is expected to remain in effect Thursday.

    Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff asked the governor to proclaim a state of emergency — a measure that could help areas qualify for disaster aid.

    Edison cuts the power

    Thousands of local Edison customers in Southern California lost power early Wednesday, outages intended to prevent electrical equipment from starting a fire.

    At Wednesday’s news conference, officials said it was not immediately clear whether circuits were down in the area when the Mountain Fire broke out.

    Edison had warned that he planned to monitor dozens of local circuits and others throughout the region through Thursday and would cut the power in case of dangerous conditions

    Countywide, more than 90,000 customers were on circuits monitored for outages, and outages were reported from Ventura to Simi Valley. Early Thursday morning, the county’s Office of Emergency Services estimated 14,000 people were still without power.

    In the event of an outage, power likely won’t work as soon as the wind calms, Edison officials said. Crews must patrol an area before restoring power and resolving any issues.

    Officials urged residents to sign up to receive emergency alerts. To do this, go to readyventuracounty.org/vc-alert/. Updates on the mountain fire, evacuations and road closures are available at vcemergency.com.

    Reporters Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Tom Kisken, Isaiah Murtaugh and Wes Woods II contributed to this report.

    Cheri Carlson covers the environment and county government for the Ventura County Star. Contact her at [email protected] or 805-437-0260.

    Pabio
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