Fire Near Camarillo Chars 10,000 Acres

A brush fire started by a downed power line and driven by Santa Ana winds burned more than 10,000 acres north of Camarillo on Monday, threatening about 50 ranch homes.

More than 200 firefighters, aided by six retardant-dropping tanker planes and two helicopters, prevented any homes or outbuildings from burning, Assistant Ventura County Fire Chief Don Ellis said. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters did not expect to contain the fire before 5 p.m. today, dispatcher Shonna Matthews said. Ellis said he expected the fire would consume at least 12,000 acres.

The fire broke out just before 11 a.m. near Bradley Road about four miles north of Camarillo when a power pole broke and a power line ignited the brush, fire officials said. It was not known why the pole broke, Matthews said.

Fanned by winds gusting up to 50 m.p.h., the fire spread north over South Mountain to the banks of the Santa Clara River. A wind from the west that travels up the river channel pushed the fire east until the prevailing Santa Ana winds from the northeast drove it southward again, according to county fire department information officer Dana De Diana.

“It would do a U-turn on us,” she said.

The area contains scattered citrus ranches, she said. Most of the homes that had been threatened were in the area of La Loma Avenue.

“The main problem has been people losing their trees,” said Steve Hammer, 45, who grows oranges and lemons. He said the fire consumed a row of trees only 20 yards from his house, but the fire department “had a fire truck right here--there was one for everybody’s house.”

“This is the third time in 10 years we’ve had a fire,” said Leonard Davis, 45, who grows jojoba plants. “But this is the worst we’ve had.”

The firefighting force included 22 engine crews from Ventura County, 10 from the Los Angeles County Fire Department and 10 from the California Department of Forestry.