VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. — Crews from Los Angeles and Orange counties and across the state were among the hundreds of firefighters working Thursday to battle a massive wildfire in Ventura County that has forced thousands of people from their homes, left an unknown number of people injured and destroyed "numerous" structures amid fierce Santa Ana winds.
The Mountain Fire was reported Wednesday morning on South Mountain near the 7900 block of Balcom Canyon and Bradley roads in the Somis area, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. The blaze quickly exploded in size, fueled by the terrain and driven by gusting Santa Ana winds. The flames eventually jumped the Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway in the Camarillo Heights area and chewed their way to the west, north and south.
As of Thursday morning, the Ventura County Fire Department estimated the fire had burned 14,500 acres and was 0% contained, with at least 800 firefighters were on the scene. By midday Thursday, Cal Fire put the size of the blaze at 19,643 acres.
About 31,200 electrical customers in Ventura County were without power as of Thursday morning, according to county officials, Southern California Edison has set up community resource centers at the Arroyo Vista Recreation Center in Moorpark, Simi Valley Senior Center at 3900 Avenida Simi, and the Ventura Beach Marriott at 2055 Harbor Blvd. The centers are open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday.
Ventura County Fire Department officials said crews on the air and ground would work through the night to continue efforts to quell the flames.
"Hundreds of mutual aid firefighters continue to arrive on scene from throughout California," according to the department.
The Los Angeles Fire Department dispatched nearly 100 firefighters to the blaze, including at least five strike teams, along with another team that included fire personnel from Beverly Hills, Culver City and Santa Monica.
The Glendale Fire Department also sent crews to the fire lines. The Angeles National Forest sent two engine strike teams, two hotshot crews, two helicopters, and several fixed-wing aircraft to help fight the fire.
Ventura County fire officials said "numerous" structures have been impacted by the fire, but no firm numbers of destroyed homes and buildings were released as of Wednesday night. According to VCFD, damage estimates were expected to be released beginning Friday.
Hundreds of homes were under evacuation orders, with an evacuation center established at 5205 Upland Road in Camarillo. Multiple roads in the fire area were closed and numerous schools and school districts announced that they would be closed Thursday.
There were reports of at least two people being injured in the blaze. They were taken to a hospital and treated for smoke inhalation, according to media reports. Details about injured people and damage to property were expected to be updated at a news conference Thursday morning.
At least 14,000 people were evacuated. Evacuation shelters have been set up at Padre Parish, 5205 Upland Road in Camarillo, for large animals at the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 E. Harbor Blvd. in Ventura, and for small animals at the Camarillo Airport at 600 Aviation Drive in Camarillo.
Northbound Lewis Road at Las Posas, eastbound Highway 118 at Wells Road and westbound Highway 118 at Tierra Road are closed.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday afternoon that the state had secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help with the firefight.
"This is a dangerous fire that's spreading quickly and threatening lives," Newsom said in a statement. "State resources have been mobilized to protect communities, and this federal support from the Biden-Harris Administration will give state and local firefighters the resources they need to save lives and property as they continue battling this aggressive fire."
The fire erupted amid Santa Ana winds that forecasters said were capable of reaching 100 mph in particularly wind-prone areas. Much of Ventura and Los Angeles counties were under red flag warnings that will continue into Thursday.
"A very strong, widespread, and long-duration Santa Ana wind event will bring widespread extremely critical fire weather conditions to many areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties Wednesday into Thursday," according to the National Weather Service.
The National Weather Service noted that while the gusting winds will increase Thursday morning, they were not expected to be as powerful as Wednesday's gusts, and conditions were expected to ease by Thursday afternoon, with "much lighter winds expected Thursday night into Friday with a shift back to a westerly direction."