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Camarillo Heights residents were well aware of the dangers of fire.
The corner of Ventura County is hit by powerful Santa Ana winds every fall, and those gusts start fires that move closer but never push through the hillside community.
That was until a wildfire struck on Wednesday, burning dozens of homes and forcing residents to flee for safety.
Now that the danger had passed, people returned to survey the devastation. But instead of defeat, there was a spirit of resilience and defiance, with neighbors helping neighbors and many talking about rebuilding as soon as possible.
On Friday afternoon, 85-year-old Carol Cressey visited the remains of her home. Neighbors stopped to watch as she walked around the rubble and twisted metal that made up her home of 50 years.
Phillip Federis searches for memorabilia in the ruins of a home owned by Carol Cressey, a family friend who lives in Camarillo Heights.
(Al-Saib/For the Times)
“The Bible says not to put your faith in material possessions,” Cressey said. “I can’t believe it.”
Cressey volunteered to register to vote for the local Democratic Party and stayed up late Tuesday night watching the election results. On Wednesday morning, she received an automated call to evacuate as a wildfire approached her neighborhood.
“By that time, the color outside the window was bright red,” she said. “The flames were already there.”
She threw on her nightgown, jumped out of bed, followed her 10-year-old border collie, Henry Valentine, and ran to her car in sandals. She didn’t have time to get much else.
A former educator who spent 25 years traveling abroad, Cressy amassed a collection of objects, furniture, and memorabilia from Germany, Japan, and other parts of the world.
“All my property is gone,” said Carol Cressey, who lost property in the wildfire.
(Al-Saib/For the Times)
“All my stuff is gone. The firefighters said they’ll know everything about what happened within a few days,” Cressey said.
Friends donated clothes and other necessities to help her get back on her feet. She was able to get her prescription refilled at the pharmacy, and someone provided her with a new wardrobe and other items. She was staying with a friend, but her friend’s grandson stopped by her house Friday as he searched through the ashes for mementos of her that may have survived the fire.
As Cressey drove down the street, Darryl Gross stopped to talk to a neighbor whose name he didn’t even know.
“I’m Cressy,” she said. “The whole house was burnt with smoke and ash.”
Captain Kevin Kennedy of the Beverly Hills Fire Department inspects a home destroyed in a wildfire on Estaban Street in Camarillo.
(Al-Saib/For the Times)
“Oh, I hope they can find something for you,” said Gross, whose home was damaged.
Camarillo’s drinking water quality was not affected. But Mr. Gross’ water company, Pleasant Valley Mutual Water Company, notified customers that the water was unsafe to drink due to possible contamination from the fire.
Gross was scheduled to meet with a contractor to make repairs to her home, but there was little to no water pressure on Friday.
“There are a lot of things I think about, but then I look at my neighbors,” she said. “I can’t even think about that. I have a home. I’m very lucky. I have to remind myself again that I have a home.”
Even after all the destruction, Cressey smiled brightly and joked with neighbors who stopped by. She offered to contact another neighbor who donated clothes and added that she had to pick up the dog from the groomer.
My neighbor smiled and said, “You’re amazing.” It’s just amazing. ”
Cressey walked around the property, wondering if he wanted to rebuild somewhere else or move to a senior citizen community once he received the insurance money. Her hearing aids were destroyed in the fire, but she wondered if she might have survived.
“That’s where my shower was,” she told her friend’s grandson, Philip Federis, 36, who took time off from work to sift through the ashes. He found some coins she had received while teaching in Japan.
Philip Federis delivers a coffee cup to family friend Carol Cressey. Federis searched through the rubble of his home for items that survived the wildfire.
(Al-Saib/For the Times)
Members of the Ventura County Fire Department stopped by to check on Cressey and offered to help search through the rubble with tools.
“Oh, that’s the best thing,” she said. “People have really come together and been really nice. This fire is different because you’re meeting all the neighbors.”
City officials were not surprised by the spirit on display Friday.
“We have a very strong and resilient community here,” Camarillo Mayor Tony Tremblay said. “We will get through this and support each other.”
Trembley thanked state and local emergency agencies that stepped in to help, as well as fire agencies outside Ventura County that marched to Camarillo. He also mourned the residents who lost everything.
“Our hearts break for our neighbors and residents who lost their homes or were affected by the fires,” he said.
City officials are setting up City Hall in the coming days and working to determine next steps to repopulate evacuated areas.
A house destroyed by a wildfire on Estaband Drive in Camarillo.
(Al-Saib/For the Times)
Trembley said residents should have carry-on bags in case of emergencies, not just wildfires. Homeowners should also consider creating a defensive perimeter around their property so that fire cannot easily spread to their home.
“Unfortunately, this is a reminder that we all need to be prepared,” he added.
Fire officials said Camarillo Heights was incredibly unlucky. Forecasts said their area was expected to experience the heaviest winds, and when fires broke out in nearby countryside, the fires hit the community directly. Heavy gusts provided ground air support and authorities focused on evacuating residents. No deaths were reported and there were few injuries.
One fire expert told the Times there was brutal randomness in which houses burned. Kyle Ferris, a fire behavior analyst with the Mountain Fire Incident Command Team, said embers can travel up to a mile ahead of the fire, entering certain homes and jumping over others.
In the end, more than 130 homes were destroyed and more than 80 were damaged, officials said.
Two sheriff’s deputies scrambled up a hillside Friday morning after residents noticed smoke billowing from dense brush in Camarillo Heights. They sprayed the bushes with water from a nearby house using a water hose.
The hillsides surrounding Robert Declan’s Camarillo Heights home were dotted with burnt cacti and scorched brush, showing how close the fire was to his home.
At first Wednesday, the fire seemed far away. He thought he had plenty of time to prepare, but his son arrived and told him to leave the house. At that time, winds of up to 90 miles per hour were blowing through the hillside, sparking a fire on a nearby ridgeline.
Dicklan, 77, took essentials from his home, including his wife’s computer and some important documents, and loaded them into his truck. Then he remembered his family photo album.
“I feel guilty that my home survived.” [the Mountain fire] But other people’s homes weren’t like that,” said Robert Dicklan, 77.
(Al-Saib/For the Times)
As I ran back to my truck with the boxes, I encountered a wall of smoke and realized I couldn’t breathe. Firefighters had arrived. However, there were no fire hydrants around his property, only a garden hose. He heard that planes dropped water or retardant on the hillside.
He left his home only to be informed that his neighborhood had been wiped out. He didn’t know what to do with the information, but when he returned, his house was still standing.
“Does prayer stop things?” he asked. He doesn’t know why the wind causes the fire to ignite in some houses and not in others. He doesn’t have a good answer.
“We have a very strong and resilient community here,” Camarillo Mayor Tony Tremblay said. “We will get through this and support each other.”
(Al-Saib/For the Times)
“Well, I feel guilty that my house survived and other people’s houses didn’t,” he said.
He plans to clear the vegetation around the house and install new water pipes that will allow more water to be brought into the property. He doesn’t want to be unprepared again.
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