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UPDATED, 7:05 PM: Whipped by powerful Santa Ana winds gusting to 60 mph, the Mountain Fire continued to spread in Ventura County northwest of Los Angeles on Thursday. The blaze has consumed more than 20,000 acres, with just 5% containment.
At a press conference late today, Ventura County fire officials announced that 132 structures have been destroyed and 88 others were damaged. There have been 10 confirmed injuries, most due to smoke inhalation. Officials said 400 homes had been evacuated, with 250 more residents deciding to stay despite evacuation orders.
California Governor Gavin Newsom visited the region today and proclaimed a state of emergency in Ventura County.
“This is a dangerous fire that’s spreading quickly and is threatening lives,” the governor said in a statement. “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. Stay safe and remain alert for instructions from local authorities as dangerous fire weather conditions continue.”
On Wednesday, Newsom announced FEMA’s approval of a Fire Management Assistance Grant to support state and local firefighting response.
Hundreds of firefighters and multiple helicopters on the scene were working under dangerous “red flag” conditions expected to continue through Thursday night in most areas — and in the North through early Friday morning.
Evacuation orders were extended late this morning east into Moorpark as far the Grimes Canyon Road (the 23) and as far south as E. Los Angeles Avenue (the 118). Those orders were put in place in anticipation of the Santa Anas weakening this evening and a more regular — and less intense — wind from the west picking up, which could push the fire eastward.
To the south, after burning portions of Camarillo Heights, the fire spotted ahead to the northern side of the 101 freeway. The Camarillo Airport lies just the other side of the 101.
Some 31,200 residences in Ventura County were without power as of Thursday morning. Southern California Edison has set up community resource centers at the Arroyo Vista Recreation Center in Moorpark, Simi Valley Senior Center and the Ventura Beach Marriott that are open from 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursday.
The Mountain Fire broke out Wednesday morning near Balcom Canyon Road and Bradley Road in Somis, and jumped the 118 Freeway driven by winds capable of gusting to 100 mph in some areas. Numerous homes have been damaged or destroyed in the Camarillo Heights and the Camarillo Estates areas, and evacuation orders remain in place.
Cal Fire is coordinating with the Ventura County and San Luis Obispo County fire department to battle the flames. The Los Angeles Fire Department dispatched nearly 100 firefighters to the blaze, including at least five strike teams, along with another team that included fire personnel from Beverly Hills, Culver City and Santa Monica. Other local fire departments including Glendale also are on the scene.
PREVIOUSLY, 6:28 PM Wednesday: “Firefighters were engaged right off the bat with pulling people out of their houses and saving lives,” said Trevor Johnson, Operations Chief of the Ventura County Fire Department at a press conference today to discuss the Mountain Fire northwest of Los Angeles. He said it was “a tough fire fight” from the moment emergency personnel arrived on scene this morning in the area between between Moorpark and Somis.
The Mountain Fire is currently at 10,480 acres with 0% containment. Emergency responders have made more than 14,000 contacts to evacuate people in the community, according to officials. Two civilians were transported to the hospital with smoke inhalation.
One day after a historic presidential election, every local newscast in Los Angeles was focused on coverage of the Mountain Fire, including images of homes burning, correspondents on the ground and interviews with evacuees and local officials.
“This is a classic Santa Ana wind event. We’ve got sustained winds over 50 mph with gusts over 80,” said Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner. “Every firefighter in the region, all of our partners — from Los Angeles County, Orange County, Kern County, Santa Barbara County, our partners at CalFire, our partners in law enforcement, the Sheriff, every helicopter, every fixed wing aircraft, everything we’ve been able to get ahold of — is here fighting this fire, and it is moving at a dangerous rate of spread.”
A major contributing factor, said Gardner, is those winds. As a result, “This fire has spotted more than two and one-half miles out in front of itself.”
Red Flag conditions are “expected to continue through at least sundown tomorrow,” according to VCFD division chief & incident commander Jeff Change.
Thousands of residents have already been evacuated in the zones outlined in purple below.
The fire presently continues to move west through the Santa Clara riverbed area south of the City of Santa Paula. That city and the community of Saticoy are expected to be the next areas evacuated.
Other concerns include the densely populated Camarillo Heights area and the 101 freeway corridor that connects Los Angeles with Ventura and Santa Barbara.
The blaze brought flashbacks of the massive Thomas Fire that started north of Santa Paula in December 4, 2017 and burned through portions of the area now threatened. Three weeks later, it had scorched 281,000 acres and burned hundreds of homes, becoming — at the time — the largest wildfire since record-keeping began in California.
See below for video taken tonight looking south from the Santa Paula Airport.
According to Johnson, the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
