On October 3, 2024, over 500 emergency personnel responded to a fire that broke out near lake Piru and quickly grew, burning approximately 367 acres, and as of Monday, at 8:24am, the fire was out per the National Interagency Fire Center. Courtesy https://app.watchduty.org/i/35485. Photo credit Angel Esquivel.

On Thursday, October 3rd, at 12:45 p.m., the Ventura County Fire Department was dispatched to a reported fire near Lake Piru. Arriving first engine reported a 10-15 acre. By 2:30 p.m. the fire was mapped at 239 acres before it grew to 300 acres by late afternoon. Authorities issued an evacuation order for the Lake Piru recreation area, including Dominguez Canyon, soon after the fire broke out. By 8 a.m. Friday, they downgraded the order to an evacuation warning, meaning people should be prepared to leave. Piru Canyon Road was closed in both directions from Lime Canyon Road to the lake, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services. The hot weather and dry brush made for “an explosive situation” when the fire first took off, said Chad Cook, deputy chief of the Ventura County Fire Department. Flames quickly spread and the fire ran from Lake Piru near the Santa Felicia Dam and jumped Piru Canyon. Flames burned on both sides of the road and made a run up the canyon toward the campground. Roughly 500 fire personnel were involved in battling the blaze, including 250 firefighters, officials said. Additional crews responded from Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the U.S. Forest Service. Engine, dozer and hand-crews worked to douse flames on the ground, while helicopters, tankers and other aircraft dropped water and Phos-Chek retardant. By late Thursday afternoon crews had made good progress where the fire started and the entire left flank of the blaze, where flames had potential to head towards the town of Piru, and firefighters made it a priority. Authorities evacuated the campground near Lake Piru early on, said Tony Huynh, risk and safety manager at the United Water Conservation District, which manages the lake and recreation area. Fire engines were assigned to protect structures in the Lake Piru area. People left in the area – park rangers, campground hosts and some guests who had been on the lake fishing or jet skiing before the fire – were sheltering in place in the marina parking lot, according to Huynh shortly after 3 p.m., Thursday. Rangers were able to start escorting guests and visitors out of the area and down Piru Canyon Road after 5 p.m. The National Weather Service said temperatures in the area reached around 100 degrees Thursday. Humidity levels of 15 to 20% and wind gusts up to 20 mph were reported near the lake. Conditions were expected to remain hot and dry through the weekend.