Tag Archives: Camarillo

Dry conditions on East and West Coasts have firefighters scrambling to keep wildfires under control

Mountain Fire Camarillo

Important Takeaways:

  • Firefighters in California gained a foothold in the battle against a wildfire north of Los Angeles while weather officials on Tuesday issued red flag warnings across the Northeast where blazes turned deadly over the weekend.
  • The Mountain Fire in California’s Ventura County burned 20,630 acres of land as of Tuesday, an amount it has held near for several days after 80 mph winds fueled its explosive growth last week. As winds slowed, firefighters managed to bring the containment level to 42%, allowing officials to downgrade several evacuation orders. The fire has torched nearly 200 homes and businesses, injured six people and threatened thousands of structures.
  • In the Northeast, weather officials issued red flag warnings from New Jersey to Massachusetts after a bout of modest weekend rainfall failed to douse the region’s wildfire threat.
  • The rain helped firefighters gain some control over the Jennings Creek wildfire along the New Jersey-New York border, which has engulfed 3,500 acres and was 20% contained by Monday night. In anticipation of Tuesday’s winds and dry conditions, fire officials fortified control lines along the blaze’s east side.
  • Some 82 brush fires were being monitored across Connecticut…
  • Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont declared a Stage 2 drought advisory for all eight counties in Connecticut over the weekend, citing “far below normal precipitation levels and ongoing fire danger levels statewide,” according to a statement from his office.
  • In Massachusetts, officials said firefighters were battling dozens of wildfires throughout the state. In October, the state’s Department of Fire Service recorded 200 wildland fires, a 1,200% increase from the month’s average total of 15 fires.

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Mountain Fire: Cal Fire estimates 20,000 acres have burned outside of Los Angeles

Important Takeaways:

  • Satellite imagery of a large fire burning outside of Los Angeles shows dozens of homes that were destroyed as Santa Ana winds helped drive the flames of the Mountain Fire.
  • CAL FIRE estimates that more than 20,000 acres have burned, fueled by what officials described as favorable weather conditions.
  • “The fire began in the Somis area and was driven by winds into the Camarillo Heights and the Camarillo Estates areas, where numerous homes were damaged or destroyed. Fire remains active on the northeast portion of the fire, moving downslope towards the Santa Clara River…All evacuation orders and warnings remain in place due to the extreme fire danger. Residents are strongly encouraged to heed the warnings and orders,” the agency said in a statement.
  • So far, no life-threatening injuries have been reported among firefighters or residents fleeing the flames.
  • According to emergency management, more than 10,000 homes and businesses were under evacuation alerts around Ventura County as the fire quickly spread through the hills of South California.
  • Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency in Ventura County due to the large wildfire.
  • The cause of the Mountain Fire is still unknown, but authorities are working to determine if utility lines played any role in its ignition.

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