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.

***
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.

Ventura County Voter Turnout (51.69%)
Registered Voters 516,989
Ballots Cast 267,226
Fillmore Unified School District Trustee Area 3
Brandy Hollis 287 (37.52%)
Olivia Palacio 478 (62.48%)
Total Votes 765
Fillmore Unified School District Trustee Area 4
Tricia Gradias 463 (64.76%)
Andy Klittich 252 (35.24%)
Total 715
Fillmore City Council, District 1
Luis Alberto Rodriguez 286 (100%)
Fillmore City Counciul, District 2
John L. Garnica 423 (55.66%)
Mark Austin 337 (44.34%)
Total 760
Fillmore City Council, District 5
Gary A. Cushing 391 (53.34%)
Christina Villasenor 342 (46.66%)
Total 733
Fillmore City Clerk
Olivia Carrera Lopez 3,041 (100%)
Fillmore City Treasurer
Jaquelyn Magdaleno 2,995 (100%)

On Friday, November 1st, at 2:30 a.m., Ventura County Fire Department, AMR Paramedics, and California Highway Patrol were dispatched to a cell phone crash notification on Highway 126 near Camino Del Rio, just east of Piru, near the Los Angeles County line.

Arriving firefighters reported a solo vehicle overturned with one person trapped and unresponsive. Per CHP, the driver, who was alone in the 2019 Jeep Wrangler, was pronounced dead at the scene. In an update Friday afternoon, CHP officials said a 29—year-old Fillmore woman was driving the Jeep and had travel onto the right shoulder, which was covered with dirt and brush. It wasn’t immediately known how fast the vehicle was going or why it went off the roadway.

The Jeep continued on the shoulder until it struck a drainage culvert, authorities said in a news release. The Jeep flipped over onto its roof and came to rest on the right shoulder west of the culvert. The vehicle sustained major damage. The driver’s name wasn’t released pending notification of family.

Investigators don’t yet know whether drugs or alcohol were a factor, according to the release. The accident remains under investigation.

Anyone with information about Friday’s collision is asked to call the CHP Moorpark-area office at (805)553-0800.

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Channel Islands Restoration (CIR) hosted a family-friendly volunteer day at Lake Piru to clear Tamarisk and other invasive weeds in Piru Creek on October 26th. Tamarisk can consume up to 200 gallons daily, threatening local biodiversity and harming wildlife. Removing these weeds can help restore the forest’s natural beauty and ecological health.

Agenda for the day was Volunteer Work: Teamed up with fellow environmental advocates to remove tamarisk and other invasive weeds; Educational Talks: Heard from experts about the native ecology of the Piru Creek Watershed; Food and Refreshments: Enjoyed lunch and snacks thanks to CIR.

It was a chance to make a tangible difference in preserving the local environment, and to protect and nurture a riparian zone. Volunteers brought their enthusiasm and commitment!

On Tuesday morning, November 6, the Santa Ana winds kicked up and started early with gusty winds expecting to be 30mph-55mph. A fallen tree branch was spotted off of 3rd Street & Mountain View. Due to the high winds Ventura County is on a Red Flag Warning until Friday. Photo credit Angel Esquivel.
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Courtesy https://www.vcemergency.com

SantaAna Wind Event & the Potential for Public Safety Power Shutoffs Updated 11/6/2024 at 7:58amVentura County Sheriff’s Emergency Services and the National Weather Service are currently monitoring a significant Santa Ana wind event forecasted to impact Ventura County from Wednesday morning, November 6, through Friday, November 8. Gusty northeast winds can be expected with sustained speeds ranging from 30mph-55mph. Gusts as high as 100mph are possible in wind-prone mountainous locations. In addition to windy conditions, low relative humidity with poor overnight recovery is expected. A Red Flag Warning has been issued starting Wednesday at 4am through Thursday at 6pm for all areas of Ventura County. Due to the high fire danger, 46 Southern California Edison electrical circuits are being monitored for potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). The period of concern for PSPS extends from November 6 at 3am to November 7 at 9pm. Should conditions in any area exceed Southern California Edison’s safety thresholds, electricity may be temporarily shut off to minimize the risk of ignition of a wildfire. Areas at risk for shutoff may change as conditions evolve. Individuals that rely on electricity to power medical devices are encouraged to plan ahead now and take steps to ensure your safety and well being.

For a map of impacted circuits, please click on the Realtime Incident Dashboard below.https://vcoes.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/e15ca0d2737d43cea6514 043e61f1a7c. For more information on the weather forecast, please visit The National Weather Service online. https://www.weather.gov/lox/.To file a claim for losses associated with Public Safety Power Shutoffs, clickhttps://www.sce.com/customer-service/request-support/claims. For the latest updates visit https://www.vcemergency.com/.