Mountain Fire update: California fire threatens critical infrastructure

The Mountain Fire in Southern California continues to threaten critical infrastructure after destroying over 130 homes and injuring six people in Ventura County, according to officials and local reporting.

Sixty crews have been deployed to fight the flames of the Mountain Fire that started Wednesday morning in the Ventura County community of Somis.

The Ventura County Fire Department said Saturday night that the Mountain Fire had burned through 20,630 acres and that only 21 percent of the fire had been contained.

“Threats remain to critical infrastructure, highways and communities, while active fire continues to burn within islands of unburned fuel,” the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) said in an update from Saturday. “Damage inspection teams remain out in the fire area assessing affected structures.”

Newsweek has reached out to CAL FIRE via email for comment Sunday morning.

Local residents grieved the loss of their homes and their neighbors’ homes. One man’s home that had been in his family for almost four decades was destroyed in the fire.

Brandon Francis told local news station KTLA 5 on Saturday morning that he, his wife, his grandmother and his newborn baby don’t have a place to live.

Their lives were “turned upside down in a matter of minutes” by the Mountain Fire, he said.

“Those rooms had such value to us because we grew up here,” Francis said. “This was the meeting spot for our entire family.”

Suzette Barrick, another local resident, called the fire “horrible,” and said, “I couldn’t stop crying.”

She told KTLA 5 that her neighbor, “a sweet lady, her house is gone, but the one next to hers is fine.” And the home of her friend “is now gone to the ground.”

Nearly 3,000 personnel have been assigned to help fight the fire while 21 helicopters and 497 fire engines have been deployed.

According to CAL FIRE’s Saturday update, decreasing winds have helped crews “with their aggressive fire attack.” But “terrain in some areas continue to be a challenge.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Ventura County on Thursday.

“This is a dangerous fire that’s spreading quickly and is threatening lives,” Newsom said in a statement on Thursday. “California has mobilized state resources, including personnel, engines and aircraft from CAL FIRE and Cal OES [California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services], to protect communities as our fire and emergency response teams work around the clock to combat this fire.”

He added: “Stay safe and remain alert for instructions from local authorities as dangerous fire weather conditions continue.”

On Wednesday, the governor said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant to help crews on the ground.

Meanwhile, there are currently multiple evacuation orders and evacuation warnings in effect. Details can be found on CAL FIRE’s website.