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    • 132 structures destroyed in less than 2 days in California wildfire
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    132 structures destroyed in less than 2 days in California wildfire

    Umito Posted on

    Christopher Weber and Noah Berger
    | Associated Press

    Camarillo, California. – A wildfire in Southern California destroyed 132 structures in less than two days, firefighters said Thursday.

    The fire broke out Wednesday morning in Ventura County and expanded to nearly 31 square miles (80 square kilometers). Its cause has not been determined.

    Fire officials said 88 other structures were damaged, but did not say whether they were burned or affected by water or smoke damage.

    Some 10,000 people remained under evacuation orders Thursday as the fire continued to threaten about 3,500 structures in suburban neighborhoods, ranches and agricultural areas around Camarillo in Ventura County.

    County firefighters said crews working in steep terrain, with the help of water-wielding helicopters, were focused on protecting hillside homes along the northeastern edge of the fire, near the city of Santa Paula, where more than 30,000 people live.

    Kelly Barton watched firefighters sift through the charred rubble of her parents’ ranch of 20 years in the Camarillo hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Crews discovered two safes and his parents’ collection of vintage door knockers, untouched amid the devastation.

    “It was their forever retirement home,” Barton said Thursday. “Today, at 70, they have to start again. »

    His father returned home an hour after it was evacuated on Wednesday and found it already destroyed. He was able to get four of their vintage cars to safety, but two — including a Chevrolet Nova he’d owned since he was 18 — burned to “toast,” Barton said.

    The National Weather Service said a red flag warning, indicating high fire danger conditions, would remain in effect until 6 p.m. Winds are expected to decrease significantly but humidity levels will remain extremely low, forecasters said.

    Officials in several Southern California counties urged residents to remain vigilant amid fast-spreading fires, power outages and downed trees during the latest round of notorious Santa Ana winds.

    The Santa Anas are dry, warm, gusty northeast winds that blow from the interior of Southern California toward the coast and offshore, moving in the opposite direction to the normal overland flow that carries moist air of the Pacific. They typically occur during the fall months and continue throughout winter and into early spring.

    The Mountain Fire was burning in a region that has seen some of California’s most destructive fires over the years. The fire quickly grew from less than half a square mile (about 1.2 square kilometers) to more than 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) in just over five hours Wednesday. By Thursday afternoon, the nearly 50-square-mile area had been mapped and Gov. Gavin Newsom had declared a state of emergency in the county.

    Marcus Eriksen, who owns a farm in Santa Paula, said firefighters kept embers from spreading to his home, vehicles and other structures, even as piles of compost and wood chips were engulfed. .

    The flames were up to 30 feet high and moving quickly, Eriksen said Thursday. Their speed and ferocity overwhelmed him, but firefighters continued to fight to save as much as they could on his property. Thanks to their work, “we dodged a bullet, big time,” he said.

    Sharon Boggie said the fire happened less than 200 feet from her home in Santa Paula.

    “We thought we were going to lose him at 7 o’clock this morning,” Boggie said Thursday as white smoke billowed through the neighborhood. She first fled with her two dogs while her sister and nephew stayed behind. A few hours later, things seemed better, she said.

    The Ventura County Office of Education announced that more than a dozen school districts and campuses in the county were closed Thursday, with a few expected to be closed Friday.

    Two people suffered apparent smoke inhalation and were taken to the hospital Wednesday, firefighters said. No firefighters reported serious injuries.

    Utilities in California have begun turning off equipment during high winds and extreme fire risks after a series of massive and deadly wildfires in recent years were sparked by power lines and d other infrastructure.

    Power was cut to nearly 70,000 customers in five counties because of the increased risk, Southern California Edison said Thursday. Gabriela Ornelas, a spokeswoman for Edison, could not immediately say whether power had been cut in the area where the mountain fire started.

    Weber reported from Los Angeles. Jaimie Ding and Stefanie Dazio in Los Angeles; Ethan Swope in Camarillo; Eugene Garcia in Santa Paula; Amy Taxin in Orange County; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and Sarah Brumfield in Washington, DC, contributed to this report.

    Umito
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