What you need to know
The wildfire burned 10,000 acres in the Moorpark and Camarillo areas early Wednesday afternoon. A fire spread quickly on a windy day in Southern California, leaving several people injured and hospitalized. Video showed several buildings damaged by the flames. The fire spilled onto Highway 118. Camarillo Springs area.
A wildfire that broke out at a devastating rate in the Moorpark and Camarillo areas of Ventura County burned more than 10,000 acres Wednesday, forcing evacuations as strong winds pushed the flames into neighborhoods.
Injuries were reported and several homes were destroyed in the wildfire that started around 9 a.m. near the 118 Freeway near the 7900 block of Balcom Canyon Road and Bradley Road. The fire department said strong winds in the area contributed to the difficult conditions.
The fire crossed Highway 118 and entered the Camarillo Heights neighborhood.
“Several people were injured and transported to local hospitals,” the Ventura County Fire Department said in a statement. “Many structures are currently under threat.”
Homes were destroyed in the Camarillo and Moorpark neighborhoods. Video from NewsChopper4 showed several homes burnt down, but authorities did not have an estimate of how many homes were destroyed.
#MountainFire update:
The fire has crossed Highway 118 and is currently impacting the Camarillo Heights area. An evacuation order has been issued, and we ask all residents to follow the evacuation order for their safety. Several people were injured and taken to local hospitals. pic.twitter.com/rWpKIdDfpe
— VCFD PIO (@VCFD_PIO) November 6, 2024
Details of the injuries were not immediately available, but fire officials said the injuries were not life-threatening.
A fixed-wing plane was grounded due to strong winds due to “extremely dangerous” conditions due to gusty winds. Wind can cause turbulence for pilots. There was also thick smoke, making it difficult to see from the sky.
Water cannon helicopters were still heading towards the blaze, some dropping water directly onto homes.
Wednesday is expected to be the strongest wind of the week, with gusts of up to 130 mph expected in the mountains and foothills of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Similar winds are expected to return to the mountains on Thursday night.
“Wind gusts as high as 160 mph are possible in windy, mountainous areas,” county emergency officials said in a statement. “In addition to windy conditions, low relative humidity is expected to make recovery difficult overnight. A Red Flag Warning is in place for all areas of Ventura County from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 6 p.m. Thursday. The order has been issued.”
evacuation order
Evacuation orders are in effect for:
Follow N Hwy 118 to the ridge and west from Saticoy County Club Saticoy Country Club to Balcom Canyon Road. North Lewis Road to Los Pozas Country Club, north of Loop Drive (Camarillo Heights area), east to Balcom Canyon Road
Evacuation advisory
Neighborhoods west of Wells Road, east of Petit, north of the Santa Clara River, and south of Foothill Road.
shelter
Padre Serra Parish — 5205 Upland Rd., Camarillo, CA 93012 Ventura County Fairgrounds (large animals) — 10 E. Harbor Blvd., Ventura, CA 93001 Ventura County Animal Services (small animals) — 600 Aviation Dr. Camarillo ,93010
“140 firefighters are on the scene, utilizing 58 firefighting equipment, and additional helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft have been requested to assist,” the ministry said.
Gus Garcia, who owns a ranch south of the fire, told The Associated Press he was waiting to see if conditions change before evacuating his horses and cattle. His ranch is surrounded by people who raise horses and alpacas, and Garcia said his neighbors in the canyon don’t seem to be panicking.
“The horse community is preparing for this because it’s always a possibility here,” he said.
The latest information on California’s statewide wildfires shows a staggering increase in the number of acres burned compared to last year. As of Monday, Cal Fire reported more than 1 million acres had been burned since the beginning of the year. At this time last year, just 308,000 acres had burned.
The average for the five years ending Nov. 4 was 1.2 million acres.
This is a story in development. Please check the latest information.
