Nov. 9 -- Portions of Ventura County were under siege Thursday afternoon as two large fires descended on neighborhoods, threatening numerous communities reeling from the massacre at a country music bar the night before.
The Hill fire was being whipped up by powerful winds that pushed it through canyons and to the edge of Camarillo Springs and Cal State Channel Islands, both of which were evacuated. Ventura County officials estimated 1,200 homes were evacuated in the Camarillo Springs and Dos Vientos areas. Live television footage showed at least one home and several RVs consumed by flames.
The fire, as well as a smaller one that broke out to the east near Box Canyon, created chaotic conditions in an area that less than 24 hours earlier was devastated by a mass shooting that left 12 people and the gunman dead.
Ventura County Fire Capt. Brian McGrath said his team responded to both events. And after coming off their shifts, several firefighters participated in the procession for Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Helus, who was killed in the shooting.
“Most personnel were able to get a few hours of rest and, now, are back at it,” McGrath said. “We are ready and we are here.”
Authorities have shut down the 101 Freeway in both directions at Camarillo Springs Road, forcing some motorists to drive down the wrong side of the freeway to avoid the fire.
Paul Heckathorne, 42, of Newbury Park was driving home from work when he saw smoke spewing from the hills. He pulled off the freeway to see where the fire was coming from.
“I’ve lived here for a long time, and I’ve seen these hills go up in flames many times,” he said. “It’s happens and it’s made worse by Santa Ana winds.”
The blaze, which began about 2 p.m., raced across as much as 10,000 acres in less than two hours and prompted the evacuation of a water treatment plant and hiking trails, officials said Thursday afternoon. A nearby trailer park also was being evacuated.
The fire broke out in Hill Canyon off Santa Rosa Road near Newbury Park, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. It’s burning in the footprint of the Springs fire, which scorched more than 24,000 acres a few years ago, McGrath said.
“The wind is definitely pushing this thing toward the ocean just like the Springs fire a few years ago,” he said. “It’s very fast.”
Firefighters were attempting to attack it by air because steep terrain has made the burn area inaccessible.
“We’re doing our best to attack this fire from the air, but extreme winds prohibits our ability to attack fire,” Fire Capt. Stan Ziegler said.
Ziegler said there were sustained winds of about 30 to 35 mph with gusts of 40 mph.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag fire warning that went into effect Thursday morning, signaling possible fire danger across Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange counties through Friday night.
The strongest winds are expected overnight Thursday into Friday morning, when forecasters predict gusts between 40 and 50 mph in the valleys and coasts, and between 60 and 70 mph in the mountains.
There were no reports of injuries from the Hill fire, but TV footage showed one structure burning.
The second small fire was burning near Woolsey Canyon Road and in the general direction of Oak Park. Calabasas issued some voluntary evacuations, but officials stressed that no homes are immediately threatened. By Thursday evening, the Woolsey fire had burned 2,000 acres and was growing, triggering evacuation orders for about 20 homes on Saddlebow Road in Bell Canyon, as well as portions of Hidden Hills.
These fires come less than a year after Ventura County was devastated by the Thomas fire, which burned homes from Ventura to Montecito.
Times staff writer Joseph Serna contributed to this report.
___ (c)2018 the Los Angeles Times Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
