Favorable weather is helping firefighters battle the devastating Mountain Fire

Favorable weather conditions helped thousands of firefighters find success Saturday in the devastating Mountain Wildfire that has burned nearly 20,000 acres, destroyed more than 130 homes and injured nearly 90 others — while improving the lives of Ventura County residents.

The fire was 17% contained Saturday morning as crews extinguished fires in an agricultural area north of the 118 Freeway a few miles east of where the fire broke out in the Somis area. In Santa Paula, firefighters were putting out smoky areas below the Santa Clara River, while in hard-hit Camarillo Heights, they were clearing hot spots about 300 feet from the fire's center amid charred shells of homes.

“A lot of resources will be available today,” said Clint Swensen, chief operations officer with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, of the Camarillo Heights effort.

The fire started just before 9 a.m. Wednesday morning in a remote area near Bradley and Balcom Canyon roads amid wildfire conditions in Santa Ana, with winds up to 60 mph and humidity in the single digits — prompting the National Weather Service to issue a “red flag. be careful.” Its cause is still under investigation.

On Saturday, the weather was cooperating with about 3,000 firefighters working on the blaze – as winds eased and humidity levels rose.

The practice was expected to continue until Monday, giving crews a few days to continue putting a ring on the fire. However, windy and dry conditions are forecast to pick up again this evening and Tuesday, once again becoming dangerous.

“We are monitoring this situation very closely as it is associated with critical fire weather conditions,” said Ariel Cohen, a meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service in Los Angeles and Oxnard.

Favorable weather and firefighting infrastructure improved air quality Saturday, with a warning issued by the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District expected to expire at 4 p.m.

On Friday, a layer of smoke blanketed the region, forcing many residents to stay indoors and schools to close, but on Saturday the air quality was rated “good to moderate” in all regions of the air region and was forecast to remain that way until Monday.

However, due to the chemical's ability to leach into water systems from burned facilities, California American Water Co., Pleasant Valley Mutual Water Co. and Crestview Mutual Water Co. they issued unsafe water warnings, meaning there was no water. it is safe to drink or boiled.

The fire caused a warning to be issued to thousands of residents in the path of the fire. As of Saturday, ten areas were still under warnings, including areas north of Somis, near Santa Paula and near Grimes Canyon Road. Residents can check the Ventura County Sheriff Emergency Services Incident Dashboard for the latest information.

Southern California Edison, which cut power to more than 40,000 homes in the area as a precaution as Santa Ana winds howled, was reporting Saturday that fewer than 100 homes were without power in the region.

The fire caused extensive damage on Wednesday, when strong winds prevented planes from dropping fire-fighting chemicals as firefighters struggled to battle the blaze on steep terrain amid occasional water shortages.

Poor weather conditions also fueled small wildfires elsewhere in Southern California, including Santa Barbara County, Angeles National Forest and Malibu.

The Mountain fire has been Southern California's most destructive wildfire in years — though nowhere near the damage caused by the 2017 Thomas fire, which burned more than 280,000 acres and destroyed more than 1,000 structures in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, or the year's hottest Woolsey the next one.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who visited the fire station on Thursday, declared a state of emergency that day in the region, which helped mobilize firefighting services. On Friday, he issued an order to speed up debris removal and mobilize the California National Guard. He also spoke with President Biden about federal aid, including helping with rising costs.

The Mountain Fire is the sixth wildfire in this area of ​​Ventura County since 1986, including the recent 2023 South and 2019 Maria fires that burned thousands of acres in the western portion of the current fire.

Repeated fires in the same area create a dangerous cycle that burns brush and trees and makes way for impervious grasses that provide excellent lighting for new fires – especially this year after two seasons of high growth followed by record summer heat. .