Fueled by critically low humidity levels and Santa Ana winds, the fast-moving Mountain fire swept through the hillside communities of Ventura County, scorching more than 20,000 acres by Thursday evening and threatening over 5,000 households, authorities said.
Satellite imagery captured by NASA and Maxar Technologies showcases the fire’s fury as homes are reduced to rubble and a vast plume of smoke stretches into the atmosphere.
The fire ignited in the Somis neighborhood Wednesday morning and quickly spread, forcing residents in the Camarillo, Moorpark, Santa Paula and Fillmore areas to flee.
Containment remained at 0% as of 5 p.m. Thursday, when Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Ventura County to mobilize resources to combat the treacherous blaze. Times reporters in the area counted more than 90 homes destroyed by the fire and several more damaged.
Firefighters were battling wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph as well as issues of low water pressure in the steep hills as they attempted to halt the fire in its path.
The fire “remains dynamic, and it remains dangerous,” Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said Thursday morning.
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