Families continue to return to the remains of their homes destroyed by the Ventura County Mountain Fire, including a Somis couple who narrowly avoided the flames as they rescued as many of their animals as possible.
Despite their loss, they take sparks of gratitude and determination from what they can do.
“It started right where my horse was stabled, so I called my trainer and said, ‘I’m coming out right now.’ And he said, ‘Don’t you dare, the fire is here. It’s all around us and you gotta get away now – it’s coming straight for you, I’m not going to let the horses get burned,'” Jessica Butterfield said. “And he didn’t.”
She and her husband Andreas Tompros spoke to KCAL News as they stood in the still smoldering ashes where their home once stood. Their home was one of five on Ridgecrest Lane destroyed by the massive 20,000-acre wildfire.
They say they had about 15 minutes’ warning before the flames quickly took over their neighborhood.
“He had already loaded the dog and I said, ‘Go get the goats.’ I got the cats and our puppy and then went back to try to get our chickens, but it was too late,” Butterfield said. “The forces were so big and the fire was there and we had to go.”
The Mountain Fire, which remains just over 30% contained, has destroyed more than 130 homes and damaged countless others. Tens of thousands of hectares of farmland have also been set on fire, including the family’s avocado farm.
“By the time I kind of sent her off to go back to the area where the chickens are to save them, the smoke was so intense… the clouds got very, very heavy behind where she was and I couldn’t just don’t see much anymore,” Tompros said.
Surveillance footage from the home captured the moments after they fled and firefighters arrived, attempting to push back the smoke and fire before they were overtaken.
The couple say two-thirds of their working avocado farm was burned, along with the tools they used to grow and care for their crop.
“It’s a risk to live in the beautiful places in Southern California,” Tompros said. “You never think it’s going to hit where you live.”
They say six hectares of their orchards have been lost, just part of the enormous amount of damage officials are still assessing after several days of fires. To date, agriculture officials believe nearly $2.4 million in damage has been caused nationwide.
Despite all the tragedy, the couple says they will use the insurance money they receive to rebuild the same spot, which has special meaning to them.
“There is something spiritual and magical here, and we felt it since we moved here,” Butterfield said.
