Mountain fire in Moorpark sparked by high winds and red flag warnings

Firefighters are working to contain a fast-burning brush fire on South Mountain in Moorpark, which they say is being fueled by high winds blowing through the area. So far, several people have been injured and the fire has destroyed approximately 1,500 hectares.

The fire, also called the Mountain Fire, was first reported around 8:50 a.m. near the 7900 block of Balcom Canyon Road and Bradley Road, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.

Within about an hour, the fire had grown so large that it engulfed nearly 1,000 acres of brush, fire officials said. As of the afternoon it remains 0% under control.

“Several individuals were injured and transported to local hospitals,” fire officials further noted in a post on X. “Numerous structures are currently threatened.”

At approximately 11 a.m., VCFD crews reported that flames had jumped SR-118 and were moving into the Camarillo area and entering the Camarillo Heights area.

The fire comes amid heavy winds lashing much of Southern California, prompting the fire National Weather Service officials will issue red flag warnings. In this specific case, they have issued a ‘Particularly dangerous situation’ warning due to the threat posed by ‘a persistent or threatening firefighting pattern’.

KCAL News meteorologists tracked some wind gusts that exceeded 60 miles per hour as the fire burned. Due to the all day Santa Ana wind event, SoCal Edison started cutting off the power supply for some customers due to the increased fire risk.

“Strong winds in the area are contributing to challenging conditions,” VCFD said around 10 a.m. “There are currently 140 firefighters on site using 58 fire apparatus, and additional helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft have been requested to assist.”

SkyCal flew over the scene of the fire, where several buildings could be seen burning. The flames tore through what appeared to be both farmland and natural vegetation. At one point, flames dangerously encroached on a power line near Balcom Canyon Road and Chester Way.

“The fire is burning in what we call an intermix area, which is a mixture of wild land and a lot of agriculture,” VCFD Capt. Anthony McHale said while speaking to KCAL. “There are a number of homes, ranches and smaller neighborhoods in the intermix area and that poses a huge challenge for locals.”

He said wind-driven fires are one of the most dangerous situations firefighters face because of the constantly evolving flames, smoke and embers.

“That can pose challenges, and of course in some cases, depending on wind dynamics, those embers can be carried long distances, starting fires in sensitive fuel beds and structures that may be in the area,” McHale said .

Evacuation orders are currently in effect for residents living in the area stretching from Walnut Avenue to Balcom Canyon Road and from North Highway 118 to the Ridgeline west to Saticoy Country Club, fire officials said. An evacuation shelter was available in Padre Serra Parish, located at 5205 Upland Road in Camarillo.

In addition, unincorporated Somis was also placed under evacuation orders in the area west of Saticoy Country Club, east of Balcom Canyon Road and south of Highway 118.

Homeowners with large pets were advised to drop off their animals at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, located at 10 E. Harbor Boulevard. Small pets can be taken to the Ventura County Animal Services center at the Camarillo Airport, located at 600 Aviation Drive.

Hard road closures were implemented at SR-118 at Tierra Rejada and Wells Road, as well as at Balcom Canyon Road near Stockton and Las Posas near Lewis, VCFD said. They also closed N. Lewis Road at noon.

Drivers traveling on SR-118 and SR-23 were advised to remain vigilant and watch for emergency vehicles heading to the scene of the fire.

According to Moorpark Mayor Chris Enegren, two schools – Chaparral Middle School and Campus Canyon College Prep Academy – were closed due to power outages caused by the fire. It said no students were in danger.

The cause is still under investigation.

At the same time another A forest fire raged in Malibuthat had already destroyed at least one house as it continued to rage.