Devastating Wildfire Rages across Ventura County — Details

A devastating wildfire dubbed the Mountain Fire, which reportedly spans 10,000 acres, is raging across Ventura County. The Mountain Fire, which ignited yesterday morning, November 6, near the city of Camarillo, has become a great threat to 3,500 homes, businesses, and structures, prompting the evacuation of over 10,000 people.

Exacerbating the incident are the warm, gusty, and dry northeast Santa Ana winds that typically occur during fall and continue through winter into early spring. These winds travel from the interior of Southern California toward the coast and offshore.

They move against the direction of the normal onshore flow, which carries moist air from the Pacific into the region.

In a press conference, which was posted on YouTube by Fox 11 Los Angeles today, November 7, the Ventura County Fire Department and other officials provided updates on the natural disaster, which has a containment number of 0%.

Captain of the fire department Trevor Johnson began by contextualizing the situation, recalling how the first responders and other operational partners were called out to a brush fire that was north of Highway 118 between Somis and Moorpark.

“Upon initial arrival of the incident, fire was well established and impacted by the Santa Ana wind event that we’re currently undergoing in Southern California. Upon arrival, the fire was burning in various fuel types, including agricultural, and various brush and grasses that we have in our county,” divulged Johnson.

He went on to note that although the initial resources and responders who arrived onsite were faced with a “tough firefight,” the crews were quick to spring into action, doing what they could to protect structures and conserve properties.

Johnson also mentioned that they attempted to suppress the fire and prioritize the safety of lives, which is a continuous rescue and relief effort.

“Firefighters were, right off the bat, engaged and pulling people out of their houses and saving lives,” stated the captain. Continuing, he disclosed, “Throughout the day the fire has continued to be impacted by those […] fuels and the wind continuing to the southwest, affecting […] the communities of Somis.”

Johnson clarified that the fire also managed to migrate to the south side of Highway 118 “becoming established in a fuel bed there, north of the city of Camarillo,” where the fire has impacted the entire area, including Camarillo Heights.

Far from letting up, Johnson said the fire has also migrated toward the Highway 101 Corridor in the Central Avenue area. However, he highlighted, “As it kind of progresses to the west, we have high confidence in stopping the southwestern progression of the fire.”

Although first responders remain confident in their ability to halt the fire’s progression to the west, the fire continues to rage on in the north, specifically in the Wells area, Santa Clara, and the 118 Corridor.

“Fire continues to move west there,” admitted Johnson before assuring, “We fought fire in that ground before, the right people are in place, and our firefighters are doing nothing short of heroic out there right now, across the incident.”

Additional areas that are being affected by the wildfire include north of South Mountain, and Santa Clara River Bottom, which runs south of the community in Santa Paula.

Regarding the relief efforts underway in these areas, Johnson reiterated, “Firefighters are in there actively engaged. Crews, dozers, engines. We’ve called every available resource to the incident. We’re working with our partners to bring quick resolve to this incident.”

However, he was also realistic about how challenging the situation is, noting, “But this is a tough firefight.” Nonetheless, Johnson continued to highlight that all hands are on deck concerning the incident.

One such entity that has stepped in to assist with the containment of the Mountain Fire is the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

According to a bulletin notice about the incident posted on the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection agency website, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that FEMA approved helping to ensure that Ventura County has vital resources.

The same notice also reported road closures for Westbound Highway 118 at Tierra Rejada Road, Northbound Lewis Road at Las Posas, and Eastbound Highway 118 at Wells Road.

Evacuation orders are also in effect for seven zones, including north of Somis, Saticoy Country Club, areas south of Highway 118, and west Camarillo (Las Posas/Spanish Hills areas).

Some other locations include the area extending south of Santa Clara River, the area north of Highway 101, and the area east of Santa Paula Community Golf Course, to name a few.

While there is currently no evacuation order issued for Zone 8, an evacuation warning has been set in place. This is the area that extends south of South Mountain Road, east of Briggs Road, and west of 12th Street and Bixby Road.

Evacuation shelters, such as Padre Serra Parish, and two animal evacuation centers (one for small animals and the other for large ones), have also been established.

Aside from evacuations, the Mountain Fire has reportedly prompted the closure of several schools and districts. CBS reports that as a result of “the wind event and related fires surrounding communities,” officials of the Pleasant Valley School District have evacuated the Camarillo Heights Elementary School campus.

The outlet also mentioned that students who were not picked up were transported via bus to Monte Vista Middle School.