Ventura County firefighters on Saturday were battling a brush fire fueled by Santa Ana winds that has burned about 300 acres and triggered evacuations in the Somis area near Santa Paula.
The fire, dubbed South fire, was first reported at about 9:38 a.m. on South Mountain near the 118 and 126 freeways, with initial reports indicating 3 to 4 aces in size. By late morning, Andrew Dowd, public information officer for Ventura County Fire Department, said the wind-driven fire had ballooned to 300 acres.
“I don’t have any prediction right now as to where this fire will go,” Dowd said. “This is happening amid Santa Ana conditions, but we have about 100 firefighters engaged in both ground, air and hand crews.”
In an afternoon video update shared on the social media platform X, the Ventura County Fire Department’s Public Information Officer Andy VanSciver said the fire was burning on the south side of South Mountain and was hung up on the ridge-line.
Evacuation orders were issued for those in East La Loma Avenue and West La Loma Avenue; East Los Angeles Avenue; Aggen Road and La Vista Avenue.
The National Weather Service issued a red-flag warning until 3 p.m. Sunday for most of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Low humidity and northeast winds of 20 to 25 mph and gusts of 45 mph are expected at the site of the fire, said David Sweet, a meteorologist with the weather service in Oxnard.
High winds are expected in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys in L.A. County as well as portions of eastern Ventura County, according to the weather service. The strongest blasts will rip through mountain areas.
“We’re looking at low humidity, strong gusty winds, and that combination tends to create conditions where you can have rapidly spreading fires,” Sweet said.
Southern California Edison is monitoring electrical circuits in the area and may deenergzie electrical circuits out of precaution. To view impacted electrical circuits, visit: https://vcoes.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/e15ca0d2737d43cea6514043e61f1a7c
Though Southern California’s wildfire season typically begins in late spring and runs through early fall, a December wildfire is still a risk. In December 2017, a strong Santa Ana event helped spark the Thomas fire, which scorched more than 280,000 acres, destroyed more than 1,000 structures and killed two people. The fire is the eighth-largest in state history, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Assn.
To see updated evacuation information, visit:
Ventura County firefighters on Saturday were battling a brush fire fueled by Santa Ana winds that has burned about 300 acres and triggered evacuations in the Somis area near Santa Paula.
The fire, dubbed South fire, was first reported at about 9:38 a.m. on South Mountain near the 118 and 126 freeways, with initial reports indicating 3 to 4 aces in size. By late morning, Andrew Dowd, public information officer for Ventura County Fire Department, said the wind-driven fire had ballooned to 300 acres.
“I don’t have any prediction right now as to where this fire will go,” Dowd said. “This is happening amid Santa Ana conditions, but we have about 100 firefighters engaged in both ground, air and hand crews.”
In an afternoon video update shared on the social media platform X, the Ventura County Fire Department’s Public Information Officer Andy VanSciver said the fire was burning on the south side of South Mountain and was hung up on the ridge-line.
Evacuation orders were issued for those in East La Loma Avenue and West La Loma Avenue; East Los Angeles Avenue; Aggen Road and La Vista Avenue.
The National Weather Service issued a red-flag warning until 3 p.m. Sunday for most of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Low humidity and northeast winds of 20 to 25 mph and gusts of 45 mph are expected at the site of the fire, said David Sweet, a meteorologist with the weather service in Oxnard.
High winds are expected in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys in L.A. County as well as portions of eastern Ventura County, according to the weather service. The strongest blasts will rip through mountain areas.
“We’re looking at low humidity, strong gusty winds, and that combination tends to create conditions where you can have rapidly spreading fires,” Sweet said.
Southern California Edison is monitoring electrical circuits in the area and may deenergzie electrical circuits out of precaution. To view impacted electrical circuits, visit: https://vcoes.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/e15ca0d2737d43cea6514043e61f1a7c
Though Southern California’s wildfire season typically begins in late spring and runs through early fall, a December wildfire is still a risk. In December 2017, a strong Santa Ana event helped spark the Thomas fire, which scorched more than 280,000 acres, destroyed more than 1,000 structures and killed two people. The fire is the eighth-largest in state history, according to the Western Fire Chiefs Assn.
To see updated evacuation information, visit: