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

Over the next three days, the Woolsey Fire would carve a path of destruction through southeastern Ventura County and the Malibu hills, literally burning to sand along the Pacific Coast Highway. About 1,500 structures were destroyed, nearly 100,000 acres were burned, and three people were killed.

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

Last week, that dangerous mix came together again with the Mountain Fire, which broke out not far from 2018 Woolsey Fires devastating footprint. It has burned more than 20,000 acres, destroyed 134 structures, mostly homes, and damaged another 80, becoming the most destructive fire for any Southern California community from Woolsey.

A path of destruction

The Mountain Fire started amid dangerous red flag conditions that officials warned had the potential to create extremely fast-moving fires. Firefighters first responded around 9 a.m. Wednesday to a large brush fire. in the south mountain in the Sierra de Santa Susana. With intense offshore winds and extremely dry brush, the fire spread rapidly and by afternoon had devastated hillside neighborhoods near Camarillo.

The area has suffered six other major wildfires, with footprints of more than 1,000 acres, since 1986. More recently, the South 2023 and 2019 Maria The fires burned thousands of acres in the western section of the Mountain Fire perimeter. In 2003, the 108,000-acre Simi megafire burned in eastern Ventura County and came to an end around South Mountain, where the Mountain Fire began.

In November 2019, the Maria fire burned along the Santa Clara River, similarly driven by Santa Ana winds. However, it primarily threatened Santa Paula and did not reach more urban enclaves.

Ariel Cohen, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Oxnard office, called the area a “favorable corridor” for Southern California’s Santa Ana winds, which have fueled many of those recent fires.

Fires typically make an area less likely to experience another fire soon afterward by burning much of the most flammable fuels, which can take many years to grow back. But when fires are too large and frequent, as seen in the Camarillo area, the largest, hardiest foliage struggles to grow back, allowing fast-growing invasive grasses to gain a foothold – which dry easily and become firewood.

That cycle was repeated this fall, which saw extreme drying after a late summer heat after two wet years that facilitated growth.

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

Woolsey Fire Growth in 2018

(Los Angeles Times)

Could it have been worse?

The Mountain fire could have been a second coming of the 2018 lanasey fire, or even the 2017 Thomas fire, but fortunately it didn’t turn out that way, said Mark Lorenzen, chief of the Ventura County Fire Department from 2012 to 2022.

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 circumstances as the Mountain and Woolsey fires: with low humidity, active Santa Ana winds, and high dry weeds in a mixed environment. natural and urban environment.

“All the conditions were perfect for a fire of this magnitude,” the retired fire chief said. If the windy conditions had persisted longer, Lorenzen believes this year’s fire could have been even worse.

An aerial view shows a Camarillo neighborhood before the Mountain Fire on Oct. 21.

(Maxar)

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

The winds were so strong that planes dropping retardants were grounded, at least temporarily. At the same time, the demand for water by firefighters was so great that some equipment lost pressure, forcing water to be transported to certain areas. Some firefighters on the ground said this created a challenge, but officials insisted it did not hamper operations.

On Thursday, the winds began to die down, which helped firefighters.

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

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 devastation. TO The Times investigation found that first responders on the front lines of the Woolsey Fire struggled during those first critical hours, hampered by communication breakdowns and a shortage of air tanker, equipment and fire support.

But it’s still too early to say whether anything could have been handled differently in the Mountain Fire, although officials have praised the fire’s weather warnings and evacuation efforts, pointing to the fact that no one has died in the fire as of yet. despite the rapid spread.

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