Video shows the dramatic moment one Southern California home was torched by the Mountain Fire — a blaze that’s spread more than 14,500 acres since Wednesday, forcing thousands to flee.
KTLA reporter Sara Welch was reporting from Old Coach Drive in Camarillo, which looked like it had been leveled in aerial footage.
“This is one of these homes that are burning and the flames are just vicious,” she said of the Ventura County home. “They are billowing. And, look at the smoke.”
Across the street from the property, another residence had burned to the ground. Welch noted that several houses on the street were still on fire.
“I mean, it is hot and it is windy. And, that’s the biggest problem here ... there are sporadic fires all over the area here...”
The brush fire started Wednesday morning, threatening thousands of homes and structures and forcing the evacuation of more than 10,000 people. Plumes of thick grey smoke filled the otherwise sunny, blue skies.
Residents have been told to stay away from affected areas until officials deem it safe to return. The fire remains zero percent contained, as of early Thursday afternoon.
“The fire danger remains extremely high,” Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff warned Thursday.
Some residents found themselves trapped, and at least two people were injured and hospitalized with smoke inhalation. Deputies were seen racing to rescue an elderly resident in a video on Wednesday.
“We didn’t find out until it was too late,” Ventura County resident Steven Synder told CNN. Snyder said firefighting personnel had told him and his family they couldn’t leave his home on Wednesday, with local roads obstructed and many surrounding homes on fire. They lost power in the early afternoon, but rode out the worst of it. Fireproofing additions to his house gave him peace of mind as the fire bore down on the neighborhood. The surrounding area was left charred when Snyder awoke Thursday morning.
In response to the fire, Governor Gavin Newsom said federal funds from FEMA had been secured to help battle the blaze.
“This is a dangerous fire that’s spreading quickly and threatening lives,” the governor 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 Ventura County Fire Department said Wednesday at least 800 firefighters were working on the Mountain Fire, and that hundreds of mutual aid firefighters continued to arrive on the scene.
The National Weather Service had warned of a “particularly dangerous situation” in areas that normally see the Santa Ana winds.
“Damaging wind gusts of 60 mph combining with humidities around 10 percent [and] critically dry fuels!” it warned. Climate change has been the identified as the main driver of worsening drought in the West.
The Santa Ana winds fueled the Mountain Fire’s rapid growth, with spots seeing wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour. Utility California Edison said it had shut off power to nearly 70,000 customers in five counties.
Fortunately, conditions were forecast to improve by Thursday night. A red flag warning and high wind warning were in effect into the afternoon.
“Thick smoke is blowing east of the Mountain Fire (south of Ventura to Camarillo) , please avoid the area if you can. If you will be driving through smoke, keep windows closed and recirculate air to reduce smoke exposure,” the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles Office said.
There are 10 active wildfires up and down the Golden State, according to Cal Fire. There have been nearly 7,500 wildfires there this year, including one civilian fatality.
With reporting from The Associated Press
