Mountain Fire remains active and unpredictable as Santa Ana winds set to taper off

This is a developing story and will be updated. For the most up-to-date information about the fire you can check:

The Mountain Fire burning in Ventura County is in for another day of dangerous and extreme conditions after destroying properties and forcing thousands to flee. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency in Ventura County after meeting with first responders Thursday.

Jim Fryhoff, Ventura County Sheriff, said at a news conference Thursday morning that the fire danger remains “extremely high.”

“We want to ensure everyone’s safety, so please, stay out of the area if you do not need to be here,” he said. “We’re in this together. And we’ll get through this together.”

Officials said they anticipated red flag warning fire conditions to end by 6 p.m. Thursday, but cautioned that high winds are expected to return early next week.

Conditions this dangerous — gusty, dry and widespread — haven’t been seen since 2020, according to the National Weather Service. Conditions are reminiscent of what we saw during the devastating Woolsey Fire in 2018 which ignited almost exactly 6 years ago on Nov. 8.

Mountain Fire basics

The Mountain Fire broke out Wednesday morning at around 9 a.m. near Moorpark at Balcom Canyon Road and Bradley Road. It’s currently 0% contained.

• Acreage: 20,485 acres as of Thursday
• Containment: 0%
• Structures: Numerous structures have burned
  • 10 damage assessment teams being deployed Thursday for exact numbers
• Deaths: None
• Injuries: Some reported
• Personnel working on fire: Ventura County Fire Department and numerous other agencies 
• Power outages: More than 5,500 Ventura County customers affected

Evacuation map and orders

Evacuation orders have been issued by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department for the following areas:

• North of Somis: areas north of East Los Angeles Avenue/Hwy 118, west of Balcom Canyon Road, and east of La Vista Avenue  
• Saticoy Country Club: east of Los Angeles Ave/Hwy 118, and south of the Santa Clara River and north of Beardsley Road
• Areas south of Hwy 118, west of N. Lewis Road, north of North Loop Drive and Mission Drive, and east of Fairway Drive 
• West Camarillo (Las Posas/Spanish Hills areas): north of Las Posas Road, south and east of Central Avenue and Beardsley Road, and west of Anacapa Drive
• The area extending south of Santa Clara River, east of Los Angeles Avenue, north of Saticoy County Club, and west of Briggs Road 
• The area west of Santa Paula Community Golf Course, north to the Santa Clara River, South to Somis
• The area east of Santa Paula Community Golf Course, north along Santa Clara River, west of South Mountain Road at Sespe Street, south to Bixby Road
• An area extending east of 12^th Street to Willard Road, south of Highway 126 along Santa Clara River
• The area south of the Santa Clara River, north of the ridge bottom of South Mountain at the rock quarry, west of Grimes Canyon Road, east of San Cayetano Street
• The area north of Los Angeles Avenue, west of Grimes Canyon Road, east of San Caytano Street, south of the ridge bottom of South Mountain at the rock quarry

Evacuation warnings

Authorities say those who require additional time to evacuate and those with pets and livestock should leave immediately.

• The area north of Hwy 101 and south and east of Beardsley Avenue, and south of Central Avenue (down from an evacuation order Thursday).

Note: An early evacuation warning for the east end of the City of Ventura, from Petit Road east to the city limits was lifted Wednesday.

Evacuation shelters

• Padre Serra Parish, 5205 Upland Road, Camarillo
• Santa Paula’s Community Center is set up as a temporary evacuation point, 530 W. Main Street, Santa Paula
• For large animals: Earl Warren Showgrounds, 3400 Calle Real, Gate C, Santa Barbara
  • The Ventura County Fairgrounds is at capacity and cannot accept any more animals as of Thursday afternoon.
• For small animals: Ventura County Animal Services (Camarillo Airport), 600 Aviation Drive, Camarillo

School closures

The following Ventura County schools are closed Friday:

• ACE Charter High School
• Briggs School District (all locations)
• Camarillo Academy of Progressive Education (CAPE)
• Golden Valley Charter School
• Hueneme Elementary School District (all locations)
• Mesa Union School District (all locations)
• Mupu Elementary School District (all locations)
• Oxnard School District (K-8) (all locations)
• Oxnard Union High School District (all locations)
• Peak Prep Pleasant Valley Learning Center
• Pleasant Valley School District (all locations)
• Rio School District (all locations)
• Santa Clara Elementary School District (all locations)
• Santa Paula Unified School District (all locations)
• Somis Union School District (all locations)
• University Preparation Charter School at CSU at Channel Islands
• Ventura Charter School of Arts and Global Education
• Ventura Unified School District (all locations)
• Vista Real Charter High School (all locations)

The following schools were closed Thursday:

• ACE Charter High School
• Mesa Union School District (all locations)
• Santa Paula Unified School District (all locations)Bridges Charter School
• Briggs School District (all locations)
• Campus Canyon Elementary (Moorpark USD)
• CAPE Charter School
• Chaparral Middle School (Moorpark USD)
• Golden Valley Charter School Resource Center
• High School at Moorpark College (Moorpark USD)
• Hueneme Elementary School District (all locations)
• Ivy Tech Charter School Resource Center
• MATES Charter School
• Mupu Elementary School District (all locations)
• Oxnard School District K-8 (all locations)
• Oxnard Union High School District (all locations)
• Peach Hill Elementary (Moorpark USD)
• Peak Prep Academy Resource Center
• Pleasant Valley School District (all locations)
• Rio School District (all locations)
• River Oaks Academy Resource Centers (Oxnard & Westlake)
• Santa Clara Elementary School District (all locations)
• Somis Union School District (all locations)
• University Preparation Charter School 
• Ventura Charter School
• Ventura Unified School District (all locations)
• Vista Real Charter High School (all locations)

Additionally, all four Malibu schools were closed on Thursday because of the hazardous fire conditions, road closures, and possible power outages, according to officials. That includes all programs at Webster Elementary, Malibu Elementary, Malibu Middle and Malibu High. The Malibu Boys & Girls Club was also closed.

Power shutoffs

Nearly 35,000 households are without power and Southern California Edison has warned that additional public safety power shutoffs, more than 210,000 are possible in the region due to the high winds and wildfire risks.

What we know so far

The Mountain Fire broke out in the Somis area around 9 a.m. Wednesday and almost immediately prompted mandatory evacuations in Ventura County.

It’s grown to more than 20,000 acres, jumped Highway 118, with multiple injuries reported.

Andrew Dowd, a public information officer with the Ventura County Fire Department, told LAist the fire has been active along a couple of different areas — the northeast perimeter along South Mountain Road as it pushes towards the city of Santa Paula, the Camarillo Heights area, and the Somis area.

“With the winds that we have, the weather that we have, not sounding trite, the entire fire is really a significant area of concern,” he said.

Standing on top of a hill near a temporary evacuation center at Padre Serra Parish, Cheryl Sabato said she had evacuated her home in the Somis area earlier Wednesday morning.

“It was pretty harrowing,” Sabato told LAist as she watched Camarillo burn down below.

“This is crazy. We get this every year, but not to the point where it went over the ridge,” she added, surprised that the fire had jumped Highway 118.

Helicopters dropped water on the flames Wednesday afternoon in an effort to save houses on hillsides in Camarillo. Residents watched on, hoping their homes would be spared.

VC Fire has at least six strike times on scene, with more crews coming to help from L.A. City.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Wednesday afternoon that it had authorized the use of federal dollars to aid California in fighting the Mountain Fire. That money can go toward field camps, materials, equipment use and other firefighting expenses.

According to FEMA, as of Nov. 6, all of the homes threatened by the fire are primary residences.

Weather conditions

Gusts of up to 80 mph have been observed.

Red flag conditions will continue to be a threat until 6 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

“With the red flag, we anticipate fire conditions to continue to intensify up to and until this weather pattern ceases,” Jeff Shea, division chief with the Ventura County Fire Department and incident commander, said at a news conference Thursday.

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