Firefighters make progress, but Southern California wildfire rages on

VENTURA, Calif. — Improved weather conditions allowed firefighters to increase containment on the blaze raging northwest of Los Angeles and keep it from growing over the weekend, but residents from about 1,000 evacuated homes still had to stay away.

More than 130 structures have been destroyed and another 88 have been damaged by the Mountain Fire, which ignited Wednesday. Ventura County emergency officials said the fire was 31% contained by Sunday evening — up from the just 7% on Friday — as nearly 3,000 firefighting personnel battled it.

The fire erupted Wednesday morning in Ventura County and, fueled by ferocious Santa Ana winds and dry conditions, quickly exploded in size and jumped a highway toward homes, forcing more than 10,000 people to evacuate. Several evacuation warnings and orders remained in effect for the city of Camarillo, as well as the unincorporated areas of Camarillo, Somis, Santa Paula, and Fillmore on Sunday.

The blaze had burned 20,640 acres by Thursday evening when winds started tapering down and firefighters began to make progress. By Sunday, Venture County emergency officials said the fire was currently estimated at 20,630 acres.

Clint Swensen, operations section chief for Cal Fire, said Sunday that efforts are now focused on the Santa Paula and Camarillo Heights areas of Ventura County.

Some injuries, none life-threatening

At least 10 people were injured, most from smoke inhalation, but there were no reports of life-threatening injuries or deaths so far, Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff said.

As crews grappled with low water pressure and power outages that slowed their efforts, images of destruction surfaced from the hardest hit area of Camarillo Heights. Homes were burned down to their skeletons and brick chimneys.

"The devastation is absolutely heartbreaking," Fryhoff said.

Fryhoff said residents who evacuated 3,500 homes have been permitted to return, and authorities hoped to allow residents from half of the remaining 2,000 evacuated homes back over the weekend. At one point, more than 10,000 residents had to flee their homes.

Weather starts to cooperate

Red flag warnings have expired throughout the area as winds shifted. The National Weather Service said lighter winds blowing off the ocean were expected over the weekend.

Santa Anas brought in wind and dry air from the northeast on Wednesday and Thursday. Cooling ocean air started coming in late Thursday, and conditions improved over the weekend.

Unlike Santa Ana winds, ocean winds typically mean rising humidity levels. But the strength of the Santa Anas pushed dry air far offshore, said Robbie Munroe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

The forecast calls for more Santa Anas by Tuesday, though current models show a much different impact than the county has just experienced. Winds are expected to be significantly weaker, Munroe said.

Still, forecasters said there would be elevated fire weather conditions inland from the coast through Sunday. There's also a small chance of light rain on Monday.

Air quality improves

An air quality alert was in place across Ventura County through late Saturday because of persistent smoke and ash from the fire.

The weather service said particulates in the air were at unhealthy levels and could remain unhealthy but noted that conditions could change quickly because of the fire's behavior or the weather. Officials cautioned people to stay indoors as much as possible and said anyone participating in outdoor activities should wear an N95 mask.

The air quality improved considerably with the arrival of the onshore breezes and the enhanced fire containment, and by Sunday it was at "moderate'' on the AirNow scale, very close to the "good'' level.

Agriculture industry takes a hit

An initial assessment pegged the damage to the Ventura County agriculture industry at $2.4 million, with the biggest losses to avocado, citrus and berry crops. County Agricultural Commissioner Korinne Bell said that estimate only covered 2% of the burn scar, which includes about 12,000 acres of farmland, so the figure is certain to grow.

“We’ve just begun our surveys. We have a lot more work to do,” Bell told the Ventura County Star, noting that losses go beyond crops and trees. Impacted areas probably include agricultural infrastructure like fences, irrigation lines and outbuildings.

Contributing: Jeanine Santucci and Tom Kisken, USA TODAY

(This story was updated to add new information.)