Several elderly people were rescued Wednesday afternoon after a fast-moving wildfire surrounded a home in Ventura County.
Video footage captured by Key News Network showed Ventura County sheriff’s deputies rushing to the scene just meters from the approaching flames. Thick smoke filled the air, blocking out the sun, and lawmakers and administrators quickly worked to evacuate at least four residents.
Deputies rescue a resident in a wheelchair from a house surrounded by flames during the Ventura County wildfires on Oct. 30, 2024. (Key News Network) Deputies rescue a resident in a wheelchair from a house surrounded by flames during a Ventura County wildfire. , October 30, 2024. (Key News Network) Deputies rescue elderly resident from home surrounded by flames during wildfire in Ventura County. October 30, 2024. (Key News Network) Deputies rescue elderly residents from home surrounded by fire. Oct. 30, 2024, blaze during wildfire in Ventura County. (Key News Network)
The people, all in wheelchairs, were safely loaded into waiting sheriff’s vehicles. The exact location is unknown, but it appears to be a life support center.
The area was under mandatory evacuation orders due to the raging wildfires, which had already destroyed at least a dozen homes and injured multiple people.
The mountain fire started shortly before 9 a.m. near Balcom Canyon Road and Bradley Road and quickly spread due to dry Santa Ana winds. By 11 a.m., flames had crossed Highway 118 and threatened neighborhoods in Camarillo Heights.
An evacuation center was set up in Padre Serra Parish in Camarillo, and animal facilities were set up at the Ventura County Fairgrounds for larger animals and at the Camarillo Airport for smaller pets.
More than 140 firefighters are battling the fire in difficult conditions with limited air support and emergency responders scramble to save life and property as the fire continues to spread. .
For more information about evacuations, visit vcemergency.com or call 805-465-6650.
