A vegetation fire that broke out this Wednesday in Ventura County spread to more than 14,000 acres Thursday morninguncontained and fueled by strong gusts of wind in the area.
The so-called Mountain Fire injured several people and burned around 50 residences, authorities reported.
More than 10,000 residents were forced to evacuate their homes due to the threat of fire to some 3,500 residences, businesses and other structures, according to Governor Gavin Newsom, who announced state funds to address the emergency.
Keep reading: Fire threat from Santa Ana winds in Southern California
He Ventura County Fire Department said the fire started around 8:50 a.m. near the 7900 block of Balcom Canyon Road and Bradley Road, on South Mountain, in the Moorpark area. Within an hour, the fire grew from 25 to 1,000 acres.
During the night of Wednesday and early Thursday morning, the fire extended to 14,100 acres, with 0% containment.
To fight against flames around 800 firefighters were deployedwho focused on life-saving efforts as the fire raged through neighborhoods in Camarillo, Moorpark and Somis.
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The firefighters said that Several people were injured by the fire and required hospitalizationwithout the health status of the victims being known.
During the afternoon of this Wednesday, several houses could be seen that were hit by the fire near Cabrillo Way and Highland Drive in Camarillo.
He San Bernardino County Fire Department reported on social networks the deployment of teams to collaborate in the fight against the Mountain Fire.
Keep reading: Firefighters manage to put out vegetation fire in Los Angeles
Evacuation orders in force
Ventura County Sheriff’s Office issued evacuation orders and warnings for thousands of residents of Camarillo, Somis and neighbors near the Santa Clara River, due to the advance of the fire.
To know in real time evacuation orders in force due to the fire, you can consult this link.
An evacuation center was established in the Padre Serra parishwhich is located at 5205 Upland Road, in Camarillo.
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Road closures were established on SR-118 at Tierra Rejada and Wells Road, as well as at Balcom Canyon Road in Stockton and Las Posas in Lewis, the Ventura County Fire Department said.
School closures
The Mountain Fire forced the closure of more than a dozen schools and districts while emergency teams were deployed to fight the flames.
Pleasant Valley School District Officials They evacuated the Camarillo Heights Elementary School campus due to intense winds and the fire affecting neighboring communities.
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A bus transported students who were not picked up by their families to the Monte Vista Middle School campus.
More than a dozen schools and districts announced the suspension of academic activities for the rest of the week.
Fire fueled by strong winds
Mountain Fire broke out under conditions of intense Santa Ana winds that impacted much of Southern California this week, prompting the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue red flag warnings.
Keep reading: Fire burns 115 homes in Orange and Riverside
Particularly due to the fire in Ventura County, The NWS issued a “particularly dangerous situation” alert due to the threat posed by an ongoing or imminent fire weather pattern.
Meteorologists detected gusts of wind that They exceeded 60 miles per hour.
The Santa Ana wind phenomenon is expected to decrease over the course of this Thursdaybut gusts near 30 miles per hour are still expected.
Keep reading: Fire in Los Angeles stops thanks to the drop in temperature
Due to the force of the wind, fixed-wing aircraft They could not collaborate in the fight against the Mountain Firewhich added another obstacle to the complete containment of the flames.
Wind-caused fires are one of the most dangerous situations firefighters face because the flames They are constantly evolving and changing direction.
The combination of topography, wind conditions and dry vegetation contributed to the rapid spread of the Mountain Fire.
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The causes of the fire in Ventura County remain under investigation.
In Los Angeles County, a fire in the Malibu area had spread across 50 acres and was reported to have destroyed one residence and caused damage to another.
Keep reading:
· California declares emergency in counties affected by fires
· Federal resources to fight fires in California
· Public works crews spark fire in Orange County