On Wednesday, Nov-ember 6th, at 8:51 a.m., the Ventura County Fire Department was dispatched to a brush fire reported near 7930 Balcom Canyon Road and Bradley Road.

The fire was located, quickly growing to hundreds of acres in size during Santa Ana conditions. The Public Information Officer for VC Fire was reporting as of 9:23am that 148 firefighters and 58 units had already arrived.
Additional resources, including aircraft and units, were ordered. The www.vcemergency.com website was reporting the following evacuation orders as of 11/06/24:

* Unincorporated Somis

* West to: Saticoy Country Club

* East to Balcom Canyon Road

* South to Highway 118

Firefighters were conducting structure protection for numerous residences with reports of fast approaching fire.
As of about 11:00am, VC Fire was reporting that the fire had jumped the 118 Highway headed towards the Camarillo Heights area. Per radio traffic, notifications were being made to the affected areas.

As of 11:17am, VC Fire was reporting that the fire was expected to impact the entire area of Camarillo Heights. Law enforcement was being requested in the area of West Loop for traffic control. Anyone calling from this area is being told to evacuate and that the priority is life safety and not property.

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5:50pm, multiple houses have burned, including in the area of Valley Vista Drive in Camarillo. The fire was estimated at over 10,000 acres with no containment. Ventura County authorities held a press conference with additional information, found at the following YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/live/5QIUgGrdh8c

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According to www.vcemergency.com , the following evacuation orders had been issued as of 9:18am on November 6 of 2024, for a brush fire call starting in the area of 7930 Balcom Canyon Road near Bradley Road:

Zone 1 – North of Somis: areas north of East Los Angeles Avenue/Hwy 118, west of Balcom Canyon Road, and east of La Vista Avenue

Zone 2 – Saticoy Country Club: east of Los Angeles Ave/Hwy 118, and south of the Santa Clara River and north of Beardsley Road

Zone 3 – Areas south of Hwy 118, west of N. Lewis Road, north of North Loop Drive and Mission Drive, and east of Fairway Drive

Zone 4 – West Camarillo (Las Posas/Spanish Hills areas): north of Las Posas Road, south and east of Central Avenue and Beardsley Road, and west of Anacapa Drive

Zone 6 – The area extending south of Santa Clara River, east of Los Angeles Avenue, north of Saticoy County Club, and west of Briggs Road

Zone 7 – The area north of Hwy 101 and south and east of Beardsley Avenue, and south of Central Avenue

Zone 9- The area east of Santa Paula Community Golf Course, north along Santa Clara River, west of San Cayetano Street

Zone 10 – The area south of the Santa Clara River, north of the ridge bottom of South Mountain at the rock quarry, west of Grimes Canyon Road, east of San Cayetano Street

Fire conditions are heavy and fast moving, and have consumed residences. Firefighters and emergency resources responding to help you during imminent conditions will be at risk.

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By 5:50pm, the fire was estimated at over 10K acres burned with 0% containment.

Originally beginning near the 7900 block of Balcom Canyon Road near Bradley Road near Somis and Moorpark, the fire moved quickly towards the Camarillo Heights area.

Several homes were consumed by the flames, including along Valley Vista Drive. The fire continued towards the area of the 101 Freeway and Central Avenue with smoke heavily impacting the area.
The county website, www.vcemergency.com , outlined evacuation warning information and resources available to affected people. A press conference held by the Ventura County Fire Department gave more information, and can be seen at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/live/5QIUgGrdh8c

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Over 20,000 people were estimated to not have power.

Air resources had been limited due to the strong winds. Due to the size and severity of the fire, the primary mission of the firefighters was to save lives over structure protection.

Multiple calls of people being trapped at their property had come into dispatch. Multiple ambulance transports had occurred in the morning with some people becoming injured.

Traffic jams in the evacuation zones were quickly responded to with additional law enforcement aiding in clearing the people out of the fire’s path.

The fire fight was continuing through the evening, night, and for the foreseeable future until it can be contained and handled.

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As of 10:00am on Thursday, November 7 of 2024, the Ventura County Fire Department was reporting that the Mountain Fire that began the previous day near Moorpark and Somis had consumed over 14,000 acres. The containment remained at 0%.
Evacuation orders and warnings, shelters, and additional information, can be found at the County website, www.vcemergency.com .

Sheriff James Fryhoff has issued a Local Emergency Proclamation and has requested California Governor Gavin Newsom proclaim a State of Emergency for the areas impacted, according to the website. These emergency proclamations are vital steps to activating state and federal assistance programs for both fire suppression efforts and assisting residents, the website said.

The fire was actively hitting the Santa Paula area with evacuation orders found at the County website.
Multiple fire agencies are fighting the fire, and will be for the next several days.

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As of about 5:00pm on Friday afternoon, November 8 of 2024, www.vcemergency.com reported that the Mountain Fire was currently estimated at nearly 21,000 acres consumed. More than 2,500 personnel in total had responded to the fire.
Containment was reported at 7%. As of Thursday evening, over one hundred homes had been reported lost, with nearly another hundred damaged by the incident.

Numerous evacuation orders, listed on www.vcemergency.com , were still in effect Friday evening. Firefighters were working perimeters in Somis, Camarillo Heights and Santa Paula.