CAMARILLO, Calif. (KABC) -- Thousands of residents were forced to flee a fast-moving wildfire, called the Mountain Fire, as it consumed dozens of homes in several Ventura County communities.
The Mountain Fire stood at 20,638 acres as of Friday evening, with 14% containment, Cal Fire said. The blaze is now moving toward the communities of Santa Paula and Somis after destroying parts of Camarillo. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The out-of-control brush fire broke out near the 7900 block of Balcom Canyon Road and Bradley Road at approximately 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. The fire department initially described the incident as a two-alarm fire that burned 250 acres, but it quickly exploded due to the strong Santa Ana winds and dry brush in the region.
Evacuation orders:
Evacuation warnings:
Road closures:
Temporary evacuation shelter:
Padre Serra Parish
5205 Upland Road
Camarillo, CA 93012
Large animal evacuation center:
The Ventura County Fairgrounds are at full capacity and will not be able to take any more large animals that were evacuated.
If someone has a horse or livestock that needs to be evacuated, call Ventura County Animal Services main number at 805 388-4341 to get details on an alternate location to board them.
Small animal evacuation center:
Ventura County Animal Services (Camarillo Airport)
600 Aviation Drive
Camarillo, 93010
Fire information hotline:
805-465-6650
The Mountain Fire started just before 9 a.m. in the area of Balcom Canyon Road and Bradley Road in Somis.
Fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds, it grew within a matter of hours to more than 10,000 acres and destroyed dozens of homes in Camarillo.
During the 4pm press conference, fire officials gave these updates:
- Fire is 0% contained
- There is no accurate number of structures damaged or destroyed currently because it's unsafe to access the area. They expect to start counting Thursday.
- Two people were taken to an area hospital for smoke inhalation. Their condition was unknown.
- The fire moved dangerously fast, spotting more than 2.5 miles out ahead of itself
- Fire is currently under investigation
- Fire is burning southwest to the Highway 101 corridor
Ventura County Fire Capt. Trevor Johnson said when firefighters arrived, they had to pull people out of their houses to save lives right off the bat.
Sheriff Jim Fryhoff said thousands of residents were told to evacuate, with authorities going door to door knocking as well as driving down the streets with sirens on. He said they always have people reluctant to leave, adding that they will not force them to leave.
Aerial coverage from AIR7 shows a stunning picture of devastation, with what looks like 40 or more homes in Camarillo destroyed by flames.
Entire neighborhoods, many of them featuring multimillion-dollar luxury homes, were razed to the ground as powerful winds drove the Mountain Fire, which spread to more than 10,000 acres by Wednesday afternoon.
Homes near Old Coach Drive, Goldenspur Drive and Garrido Drive were caught in the firestorm.
AIR7 reporter Chris Cristi described the scene left behind like a war zone.
Just before 2:45 p.m., Cal Fire updated the Mountain Fire acreage to 10,458 acres.
