A wildfire that damaged and destroyed hundreds of structures in Ventura County was likely caused by wind-whipped debris from an earlier fire that started days earlier, arson investigators announced Friday.
The Mountain Fire started Nov. 6, 2024 and burned nearly 20,000 acres. Nearly 379 structures were damaged or destroyed.
The destructive wildfire’s origin was determined to be a tractor fire that started nearly a week earlier on Oct. 30, 2024 during brush clearance near Balcom Canyon Road and Bixby Road in Somis. The tractor’s operator noticed the fire and moved it to an area that had been cleared of brush.
Firefighters held the initial fire, called the Balcom Fire, to about 2 acres using hand tools, a bulldozer, helicopters and a firefighting air tanker. The bulldozer created a containment line around the burned area and fire retardant was dropped on the site by the air tanker. Hoses were used to soak the ground.
The next morning, a fire department drone captured infrared images that identified heat signatures, including one near the containment line and others by the tractor wheels. Crews dug out the hot spot near the bulldozer line.
A Camarillo man says he likely had minutes to spare before the wildfire burned down his home of 14 years. Alex Rozier reports for the NBC4 News at 3 p.m. on Wednesday Nov. 13, 2024.
The heat signatures on the tractor did not appear unusual since the heavy, metal rims would have retained heat overnight,” the county fire department said in a statement. “After assessing the conditions and the containment measures in place, the decision was made to close the incident and return control of the property to the owner.
“Over several days, the burn area was visited multiple times by civilians. None of them saw or reported any indication of smoke or fire. Additionally, there was measurable rain in the area Nov. 2.”
On Nov. 5, 2024, National Weather Service forecasters issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) alert, indicating the potential for powerful winds gusts and dry conditions that can increase the risk of wildfires.
“The arson investigation determined that those extreme winds dislodged a previously covered pocket of hot debris from the remains of one of the tractor’s tires, gave it the oxygen needed to burn and carried that fire beyond the containment area where it ignited dry vegetation, starting the Mountain Fire,” the county continued in its statement.
A Somis man did not just lose his avocado farm, but he lost a dream, a retirement plan, a paradise he built from the ground up. Karma Dickerson reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024.
“We used all the technology at our disposal to contain and suppress the initial fire,” Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said. “With the extreme weather conditions of Nov. 6, that wasn’t enough.
“This fire serves as a warning for all of us about the risk wildfire poses to our community and the importance of risk-reduction practices.”
In January, the deadly Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades started days after a small New Year’s Day re-ignited. A 29-year-old Florida man accused of starting a New Year’s Day brush fire was arrested in connection with the fire, which began Jan. 7 in powerful Santa Ana winds.
The Palisades Fire expanded to 23,400 acres before it was contained Jan. 31. Twelve people were killed and more than 6,800 structures, including residences and businesses, were destroyed. It is the ninth-deadliest wildfire on record in California and the third-most destructive.