Destruction from Mountain fire shown in before-and-after satellite photos
The Mountain fire has wrought devastation on Camarillo Heights in Ventura County, destroying 132 structures and damaging 88 more as of Friday morning.
New satellite images show a before-and-after view of several sections of the neighborhood.
The image below shows one street in detail on Oct. 21, weeks before the fire, at left. The homes are situated in hilly terrain and surrounded by brush.
On the right, the same area can be seen on Thursday, after the fire had passed through. The devastation is clear: Most homes have been burnt to the ground, and the surrounding brush is charred.
The fire had grown to more than 20,400 acres by Thursday evening, forcing thousands to evacuate and straining local resources.
It swept into foothill communities around Camarillo and Moorpark, pushed by offshore winds that the National Weather Service deemed “particularly dangerous.”
The image below shows another section of Camarillo which was also devastated by the blaze.
On Oct. 21, at left, several dozen homes resemble what appears to be an oasis on a dry landscape, with swimming pools and verdant surroundings. On Thursday, at right, more than half the homes are gone, the once-blue pools turned black.
Fierce Santa Ana winds were expected to ease somewhat Friday, lessening the chance of the fire spreading farther.
By Saturday morning, the fire had burned more than 20,630 acres and was 17% contained. But more than 11,700 structures are still threatened, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The video below shows an immense plume of smoke from the fire, blown by the Santa Ana winds on Wednesday, as parts of Camarillo Heights burned.
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