CAMARILLO, California — Firefighters in Southern California are battling a wildfire that has led to the destruction of 132 structures over the course of two days. Fortunately, officials anticipate that strong wind gusts may begin to diminish early Friday, which could assist containment efforts.
The Mountain Fire ignited Wednesday morning in Ventura County and has since expanded to cover 32 square miles (approximately 83 square kilometers) with only 5% containment reported by Thursday night. As of Friday morning, approximately 10,000 residents remain under evacuation orders due to the fire’s proximity to around 3,500 structures in the suburban areas, ranches, and agricultural lands surrounding Camarillo in Ventura County.
In addition to the 132 homes that have been completely destroyed, at least 88 additional structures suffered damage, primarily homes as well. However, officials have not yet confirmed the extent of the damage from burning, water, or smoke. The cause of the Mountain Fire remains under investigation.
According to Ventura County Sheriff James Fryhoff, ten individuals sustained injuries, including smoke inhalation; fortunately, these injuries are not life-threatening. Fire crews are now working in challenging, steep terrain, with water-dropping helicopters supporting their efforts, particularly to safeguard homes located on hillsides near the northeast edge of the fire close to Santa Paula, which is home to over 30,000 residents.
Authorities in various Southern California counties have advised residents to stay alert for rapidly spreading fires, potential power outages, and fallen trees, as the region experiences another wave of Santa Ana winds, notorious for exacerbating fire dangers. These winds are characterized by warm, dry gusts blowing from the interior toward the coast, often occurring during the fall and continuing through winter into early spring.
Ariel Cohen, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Oxnard, noted that while Santa Ana winds were reducing at lower elevations, they remained strong in the higher elevations as of Thursday evening. Red flag warnings, signaling high fire danger, had mostly expired in the surrounding areas, with exceptions in the Santa Susana Mountains where the warnings are expected to conclude by Friday morning. Cohen also indicated that Santa Ana winds are expected to return early next week.
Having rapidly escalated from less than half a square mile (around 1.2 square kilometers) to over 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) in just five hours on Wednesday, the Mountain Fire quickly became a major concern. By Thursday evening, officials confirmed the fire had spread further, prompting Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in the affected county.
In response to the heightened fire danger triggered by strong winds, California utilities initiated shutdown protocols for equipment, which have been linked to previous deadly wildfires. Almost 70,000 customers across five counties experienced power outages as a precaution, although Southern California Edison has not confirmed whether any of the power outages affected the specific area where the Mountain Fire began.
This wildfire is occurring in regions that have been prone to some of California’s deadliest fires in recent years. The areas were previously devastated by the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which resulted in three fatalities and destroyed 1,600 homes near Los Angeles, and the 2017 Thomas Fire, which obliterated over a thousand homes and various structures across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The utility company, Southern California Edison, has previously paid tens of millions in settlements for claims related to these incidents linked to their equipment.