Firefighters hope to take advantage of a break in the winds Thursday morning as they continue to battle the Mountain Fire in Ventura County that has already scorched thousands of acres and destroyed dozens of homes.

The fire broke out just before 9 a.m. Wednesday near Balcom Canyon Road and Bradley Road, north of the 118 Freeway. Initially reported as a 50-acre fire fueled by brush and Santa Ana winds, it jumped the freeway and exploded to over 14,000 acres by Wednesday night.

According to Cal Fire, the fire was mapped at 14,500 acres and had no containment as of 7 a.m. Thursday.

Video showed countless homes burning as the fire raged throughout the day and night. The exact number of homes destroyed is still unknown as officials say it is still too dangerous to survey the area.

Fire officials said thousands of homes in Moorpark, Camarillo, Camarillo Heights and Santa Paula remained threatened Thursday morning. Mandatory evacuations have forced more than 10,000 people from their homes.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

An evacuation center was established at Padre Serra Parish, 5205 Upland Ave., in Camarillo. Large animals could be brought to the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 E. Harbor Blvd. Smaller animals can be taken to Ventura County Animal Services at the Camarillo Airport, 600 Aviation Drive.

The Ventura County Office of Education announced that dozens of schools will be closed on Thursday due to the fire.

The CEO of Queer Works, a Palm Springs-based nonprofit, has been charged in a fraud scheme involving the theft of more than $940,000 in public funds, officials announced Wednesday.

A Riverside County grand jury indicted Jacob Joseph Aaron Rostovsky, 33, with 53 felony counts including fraudulent claims, grand theft, misappropriation of public funds, insurance fraud, perjury and money laundering.

The district attorney’s office announced that this indictment includes “an aggravated white-collar crime enhancement due to the significant economic loss of the scheme.” 

According to the Queer Works website, the nonprofit was created to provide accessible mental health services and “promote health equity within the transgender and gender non-binary (TGI) community.” The website also says the nonprofit was originally founded by Rostovsky in 2018.

The DA’s office says that in July of 2021, Queer Works received grant funding from Riverside County for programs aimed at assisting homeless individuals and victims of domestic violence.

In 2022, the DA’s office says the nonprofit received $200,000 from the city of Palm Springs to develop a universal basic income pilot program, and then an additional $500,000 in matching funds for a universal basic income grant.

“The universal basic income program was supposed to provide 180 participants with monthly stipends of $800,” wrote the DA’s office in a release.

County officials later found discrepancies in Queer Works’ expenses during financial reviews, and altered documents submitted by Rostovsky. In addition, county-issued checks were found to be deposited into the CEO’s personal checking account.

The DA’s office says investigators found at least 89 instances of Rostovsky making false statements and submitting forged documents to Riverside County and the city of Palm Springs to obtain over $840,000.

“Rostovsky used a portion of these funds, intended for individuals in need of assistance, on personal expenses, including purchases at Disney, Burberry, and the Beverly Garland Hotel,” wrote the DA’s office.

The release says Rostovsky also collected an additional $90,000 by impersonating a Queer Works client and filing a fraudulent insurance claim against Queer Works. 

Lastly, the charges show that Rostovsky also engaged in multiple acts of money laundering with the “allegedly ill-gotten funds.”

Officials said Rostovsky ultimately surrendered at the DA’s office on Oct. 17, and posted bail in the amount of $944,000.

KTLA 5 News reporter Sara Welch was on the frontlines of the Mountain Fire in Ventura County on Wednesday afternoon as homes were destroyed by the intense, wind-driven flames on live television.

The brush fire, which erupted in the Somis and Camarillo area earlier in the day, had exploded to 9,000 acres and destroyed an unknown number of structures. Firefighters were hampered by strong Santa Ana winds whipping through Southern California on Wednesday.

“The flames are just vicious,” Welch said during KTLA 5 News at 1 p.m. as a home on Old Coach Drive in Camarillo Heights burned. “It is hot, and it is windy. There are sporadic fires all over the area.”

Welch observed many residents scrambling to evacuate with their belongings—and horses—as the flames raced through their neighborhood.

Before she moved to safety, Welch said firefighters were “all over the place” but were limited because larger firefighting aircraft were grounded due to wind.

“These winds are so fierce that they can’t get any fixed-wing aircraft up there to drop any water,” she said. “In many cases, sadly, some of these things just have to burn because there’s no way to get water to them.”