‘It was a total nightmare’
LOS ANGELES — Firefighters in Southern California expected a reprieve from extreme weather conditions Friday as they continued to battle a fast-moving fire that has already destroyed over 130 structures and damaged nearly 90 others.
Known as the Mountain fire, the blaze in Ventura County has been fueled by fierce wind gusts, troubling crews already struggling to navigate steep, rugged terrain. But those winds had softened by late Thursday and were predicted to slow even more by Friday afternoon. Breezes from the Pacific Ocean were also expected to add some much-needed moisture to the air.
“There is some concern for fire going the other way because of this, but the wind should be relatively light, and it is going to bring more moisture since it’s coming from the ocean,” Bryan Lewis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said Friday.
The fire, which broke out Wednesday, has torn through more than 20,000 acres, burned numerous homes and forced more than 10,000 people to evacuate.
By Friday morning, it was only 7% contained, fire officials said.
Ground crews and helicopters focused their containment efforts near the communities of Santa Paula and Somis. Many schools in the area were closed, and officials urged residents to stay away.
“The fire there is in a tricky place — it’s rugged, steep ground that only our finest firefighters can even access,” said Capt. Trevor Johnson of the Ventura County Fire Department. “We’re going to work as best as we can.”
Dozens of evacuees spent the night at Padre Serra Parish, a Catholic church in the town of Camarillo. The community, which is about 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles, is home to many retirees and scenic wedding venues.
Linda Fefferman and her husband, Dennis Gottlieb, were sheltering at the church after evacuating from the home they had rented from a friend. They barely made it out: The fire felled a tree and blocked the road as they tried to leave the neighborhood.
“We figured we were trapped,” Fefferman, 74, said. “Thankfully, one of the neighbors had a chain saw.”
Their home was not spared. The couple lost their two pet birds, decades of family genealogy records and supplies for Gottlieb’s pest control business. “He’s got his truck, but everything else is gone,” Fefferman said.
The couple does not have renter’s insurance. They plan to stay at the shelter until they sort things out. They have no family nearby, and nowhere else to go, Fefferman said. “Eventually, I’ll break down, I’m sure.”
Along West Highland Drive, where the Feffermans lived, there were scenes of devastation interspersed with what seemed like miracles.
Some lots had become nothing more than heaps of charred wood, perhaps with a scorched chimney or the remnants of a wooden beam. But at least eight homes appeared untouched, their lawns green and porches intact.
Smoke and ash wafted throughout the air as firefighters tended to remaining hot spots.
The region threatened by the fire includes rural communities dotted with nurseries, farms and horse ranches. Wildfires are not uncommon there, but residents said they were unprepared for how swiftly the blaze progressed.
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California visited the area Thursday and noted that the fire continued to destroy critical infrastructure before he proclaimed a state of emergency, which will help local officials obtain resources more quickly. He had previously said in a statement that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would provide quick financial assistance, and urged residents to be ready to evacuate when officials told them to leave.
Ten people had been injured in the fire, mostly from smoke inhalation, said Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The blaze caught residents off guard. Ethan Bates, 26, left the Camarillo home he shares with his mother early Wednesday to golf with a friend 30 miles away. When he returned at about 10:30 a.m., his neighborhood was unrecognizable.
“It was a total nightmare — it was a giant black cloud of smoke in the air,” Bates said. He grabbed his passport and golden retriever, Butter, before leaving with his mother.
His mother’s boyfriend stayed behind and used a generator to power a water pump so he could hose down the house and surrounding bushes. He sent photos showing the front lawn on fire and palm trees up in flames.
On Thursday, Bates managed to return to his home, which was still standing. But the yard had been scorched and his neighbor’s tractor had been completely burned.
“I honestly believe if her boyfriend didn’t stay, the house would be gone,” he said of his mother’s partner.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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