Winds shifting, but firefighters optimistic about keeping Mountain Fire contained

VENTURA, Calif. (KABC) -- Although shifting winds remain a concern, fire authorities sounded a note of optimism Monday night in an update on the Mountain Fire.

The blaze has scorched 20,630 acres, destroyed 192 structures and damaged another 82 as of Monday evening. No deaths have been reported.

It has also caused more than $6 million in damage to agriculture property and produce, including 500 acres of avocado farmland, officials said.

The blaze was listed at 48% containment and firefighters say they weren't seeing the perimeter expand on Monday as they kept teams in place to watch for hotspots and inspect for damage.

A National Weather Service meteorologist cautioned that the winds are about to shift and pick up slightly in the next day or two but it will be nothing like the explosive combination of powerful gusts and dryness that led to the fire's initial quick spread last week.

The humidity is much higher now, said incident meteorologist Ryan Walbrun, which is a big factor working in firefighters' favor even when the winds turn gusty.

"It's not nearly as extreme as last Wednesday," Walbrun said.

Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said firefighters are still on duty 24/7 to watch out for hotspots, survey the damage and, in particular, to be prepared when those winds do shift.

"I saw a number of (firefighters) come into breakfast this morning, filthy dirty. Ash-covered faces, ash-covered arms. They are working to button this thing up," Gardner said.

He cautioned residents to expect occasional flareups in addition to heavy amounts of ash carried by the winds.

County damage inspection specialist chief Gene Potkey said 14 inspection teams are on the ground to look at every structure within the perimeter of the Mountain Fire and out to 300 feet outside the perimeter. They have conducted 894 inspections so far, and found 620 structures with no damage. They had initially thought they would need to inspect about 2,400 structures but that number is dwindling as they get a more precise survey of the area, with help from drones and satellite imagery.

Avocado, citrus crops destroyed

The county's extensive farmland was also hit hard by the fire.

"Agriculture is extremely important to our county," said Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner Korinne Bell. "We rank No. 10 in the state. A lot of people think Ventura County is an urban county. We're actually equally ag, equally urban."

In particular, the county is the state's top avocado-producing region and lost over 500 acres of avocado-growing land, the equivalent of about $4 million in lost revenue, Bell said.

The fire also destroyed 130 acres of citrus crops, valued at $1.3 million in revenue, $300,000 in nursery stock, about 10 acres of raspberries and 2,500 acres of range land.

The agricultural damage adds up to $6 million so far, but the county is only about one-quarter finished its survey, so that number will increase substantially, she said.

She encouraged agricultural operators to seek relief from the USDA. The county also plans to conduct webinars to provide information to agriculture operators, with assistance from some who went through a similar experience of seeking relief after the devastating Thomas Fire in 2017.