Fire officials said Sunday they battled fierce winds to rescue people from a Southern California wildfire that forced thousands to evacuate, destroyed at least 168 structures and damaged 67 others. did.
Crews have increased containment of the wildfire in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, to 31% from 26% Sunday morning. The size of the fire remains approximately 32 square miles.
“We are grateful for the number of lives saved and the fact that the number of deaths reported is zero,” an emotional Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said at a community meeting Sunday night. .
“We know we suffered a lot, but thousands of homes were saved and hundreds of lives were saved. We know we made a mistake, but… We learn from those mistakes,” he said.
Ventura County public safety officials said they are bracing for dry, warm and gusty winds northeast of Santa Ana. But the fire that broke out Wednesday morning exploded in size with wind gusts of 130 mph and embers flying from an orchard two and a half miles away into residential neighborhoods around the Camarillo community.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Inspection teams are continuing to investigate the damage.
Officials said Sunday that firefighters conducted 136 active rescues.
Evacuation orders for residents were downgraded to a warning in several areas of Ventura County on Saturday as winds subsided and mild temperatures and low humidity helped firefighters conduct rescue efforts.
The Ventura County Star reported that agriculture officials assessed the damage to fields planted with avocados, citrus and berries and estimated the damage at $2.4 million.
Ryan Walbran, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said northeast winds are expected to return Tuesday, but he doesn't expect the humidity to increase and the wind gusts to be as strong as they were to spark the fires. He said there was.
“It's not going to be as strong as the winds that we had when this fire started, but some of you will hear it and it might be a little bit of a trigger,” he said.
The area northwest of Los Angeles has been home to California's most destructive fires for years.
On Wednesday, the wildfire quickly grew from less than half a square mile to more than 16 square miles in less than five hours, with wind gusts reaching 101 miles per hour.
Red flag warnings, which indicate conditions that pose a high risk of fire, expired in most areas on Thursday.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Ventura County.
