Crews are using a break in the Santa Ana winds to make headway on the devastating Mountain Fire, which has burned hundreds of homes and injured half a dozen people in Ventura County.
In an update issued just before 6 a.m. Saturday, CAL FIRE confirmed that the blaze, which broke out Wednesday morning near Balcom Canyon and Bradley roads in Somis, stood at 20,630 acres and was 17% contained.
Late Friday night, officials stated that fire activity “moderated” due to the decrease in wind speeds, which reached as high as 80 miles per hour in some locations this week and made the firefight incredibly challenging.
The ‘environmental recipe’ that created the devastating Mountain Fire
That said, the threat to structures remains imminent.
“The fire remains a threat to critical infrastructure,” CAL FIRE said. “Islands of unburned fuel will continue to burn within the fire footprint.”
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Marvin Meador sifts through his fire-ravaged property after the Mountain Fire swept through, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) -
Marvin Meador walks on the remains of his fire-ravaged property after the Mountain Fire swept through, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) -
Tiffany Hobelman leads a horse named Koshan from an enclosure at Swanhill Farms as the Mountain Fire burns in Moorpark, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) -
Flames from the Mountain Fire leap along a hillside as horses gallop in an enclosure at Swanhill Farms in Moorpark, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) -
Flames from the Mountain Fire leap along a hillside as a horse stands in an enclosure at Swanhill Farms in Moorpark, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) -
Kelly Barton, left, is hugged by a family friend after arriving at her parents’ fire-ravaged property in the aftermath of the Mountain Fire, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) -
Todd Howard, left, sifts through the remains of his parents’ fire-ravaged property with the help of firefighters after the Mountain Fire swept through, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) -
Destroyed homes sit among smoldering hills in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) -
A 100-year-old home in Santa Paula was destroyed in the Mountain Fire on Nov. 6, 2024. The house, which was once a spot where weddings were held, was reduced to rubble in the 20,000-acre blaze. (KTLA) -
Firefighters and sheriff’s deputies push a vintage car away from a burning home as the Mountain Fire burns in Camarillo, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) -
A helicopter drops water over a burning home in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) -
A firefighter, moves bicycles as he works against the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) -
A home burns in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope) -
A firefighting helicopter drops water on the Mountain Fire in Ventura County, California. Nov. 7, 2024. (KTLA) -
Television reporters film as flames from the Mountain Fire consume a home in Camarillo, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) -
Firefighter Missy Forrett with the Beverly Hills Fire Department puts out flames at a home destroyed by the Mountain Fire in Camarillo, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP) -
KTLA 5 News reporter Sara Welch reports from Camarillo Heights as a home goes up in flames on live television. (KTLA)
