Six years ago this week, one of these most destructive fires In Southern California, history exploded near the Santa Susana Pass.

Over the next three days, the Woolsey fire will carve a path of destruction through southeastern Ventura County and the Malibu hills, literally burning the sand next to the Pacific Coast Highway. Approximately 1,500 structures were destroyed, nearly 100,000 acres of land burned and three people lost their lives.

History has shown that this part of Southern California is prone to major fires, given its susceptibility to intense Santa Ana winds during the fall and winter, when the landscape is typically at its driest.

Last week this dangerous mixture came together again with the Mountain fire erupting near the mountain. 2018 Woolsey fire destructive footprint. More than 20 thousand decares of land burned and turned to ashes 134 buildings, The majority hit houses and injured another 80 people. most destructive fire For any Southern California community since Woolsey.

A path of destruction

The Mountain fire, which broke out amid dangerous red flag conditions that officials warned had the potential to create extremely fast-moving fires. Firefighters first responded to a large brush fire around 9 a.m. Wednesday on South Mountain In the Santa Susana Mountains. The fire spread quickly due to high offshore winds and extremely dry brush, and by the afternoon it had engulfed hillside neighborhoods near Camarillo.

The region has experienced six other major wildfires with a footprint greater than 1,000 acres since 1986. Finally, 2023 South And 2019 Mary Fires have consumed thousands of acres in the western part of the Mountain fire’s perimeter. In 2003, the 108,000-acre Simi megafire burned in eastern Ventura County and culminated around South Mountain, where the Mountain fire began.

In November 2019, Maria fever Similarly, it burned along the Santa Clara River under the influence of Santa Ana winds. But it mostly threatened Santa Paula and did not reach more urban areas.

Ariel Cohen, chief meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office, called the area a “convenient corridor” for Southern California’s Santa Ana winds that have fueled many of the recent fires.

Typically, fires quickly make an area less prone to another fire because they burn most of the most flammable fuels, and they can take years to regrow. But when fires burn too large and too frequently, as seen in the Camarillo area, larger, more resilient leaves have a hard time growing back, allowing for more warming. fast-growing, invasive weeds will take hold — dries easily and turns into kindling.

This cycle was repeated this fall, when there was a period of extreme drying. hot end of summer after two wet years that facilitated growth.

“This was definitely an area of ​​very high sensitivity,” Cohen said. Consecutive 12-month periods with up to twice the normal amount of precipitation produced a lot of “smaller fuel” in the form of shrubs and grasses, “and that forms the basis for fires to spread very efficiently,” he said.

Growth of the Woolsey fire in 2018

(LA Times)

Could it be worse?

Mountain fire could be the second coming Woolsey 2018 fire – even 2017Thomas Mark Lorenzen, chief of the Ventura County Fire Department from 2012 to 2022, said the fire — but luckily it didn’t end that way.

The Thomas fire, which destroyed more than 1,000 structures and burned more than 281,000 acres in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, also grew under similar conditions as the Mountain and Woolsey fires: low humidity, active Santa Ana winds and a mixed environment with lots of dry brush. wild land and urban environment.

“All conditions were perfect for a fire of this size,” the retired fire chief said. Had the windy conditions continued longer, Lorenzen thinks this year’s fire could have been even worse.

Aerial view shows the Camarillo neighborhood before the Mountain fire on October 21.

(Maksar)

Most of the losses occurred within a few hours on Wednesday, when the Santa Ana winds were at their worst. That morning and afternoon, 60 to 80 mph Winds hit the foothills around Moorpark and Camarillo.

The winds were so strong that the planes that dropped the retardant were grounded, at least temporarily. At the same time, demand for water from firefighters was so great that some crews lost water pressure, causing water to flood certain areas. Some firefighters on the ground said this created difficulties, but officials insisted it did not hinder operations.

On Thursday, winds began to subside, aiding firefighters.

The fire was 36% contained as of Monday morning, officials said, as firefighters continued to clear hot spots before winds pick up again this week.

In the weeks and months following the Woolsey fire, there was much debate about whether anything could have been done to minimize the extent of the destruction. A. Times’ research found First responders on the front lines of the Woolsey fire struggled in those first critical hours due to communications outages and shortages of air tanker support, equipment and firefighters.

But it’s too early to tell whether anything could have been handled differently in the Mountain fire, but officials praised fire weather warnings and evacuation efforts and pointed out that no one died in the fire despite the rapid spread.

“All of our partners and our community were prepared,” Cohen said.