VENTURA, Calif. − Firefighters were gaining ground Monday on a wildfire that raced across more than 32 square miles north of Los Angeles, damaged or destroyed more than 220 homes, businesses and other structures and continued to “creep and smolder” in steep rugged terrain.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection − Calfire − said the blaze was 36% contained early Monday and remained a threat to critical infrastructure, highways and communities. Favorable weather conditions aided the effort to construct control lines, but the National Weather Service said winds would reach 20-30 mph Monday afternoon with gusts of up to 40 mph.
The cause of the ferocious fire, which ignited Wednesday and was fanned by winds of up to 80 mph, remained under investigation. Six injuries have been reported. Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner, at an emotional public meeting Sunday night, lauded the “heroic” response of firefighters since
“I am grateful for the number of lives that were saved and the fact that we have zero reported fatalities,” Gardner said to applause, adding: “I know we suffered great damage, but thousands of homes were saved and hundreds of lives were rescued.”