Wildfire Threatens 4,000 Houses on SoCal Coast

Springs Fire consumes about 20,000 acres, dozens of buildings in Ventura County

More than 1,000 fire crews are tackling the massive blaze in Ventura County, which threatens about 4,000 houses, hundreds of businesses and Point Mugu U.S. Naval Air Station, as authorities issue new evacuation orders for thousands of residents.

• Officials said flames have crept within 100 feet of homes in Hidden Valley as the fire veered dangerously close to luxury homes and ranches in the area.
• Residents were ordered to evacuate about  1250 houses in Hidden Valley and adjacent canyon roads, southeast of Camarillo, including parts of Newbury Park, Sycamore Canyon, Deer Canyon, Brome Ranch, La Jolla Canyon, Yerba Buena and several other communities, Ventura County fire officials said.
• Fire officials have warned the locals to avoid inhaling the smoke,  especially because it contains dangerous chemical fumes released into the air after highly toxic pesticides caught fire at an agricultural storage facility in Laguna Farms.
• A sudden and ferocious start to a California fire season has seen dozens of blazes igniting in California.
• Red Flag Warning were in effect for two large regions in Northern and Southern California, as of posting.
• Humidity remained in single digits for the Red Flag Warning areas.
• Fire officials have compared the moisture levels in the hillsides vegetation to the norm for the month of August.
• The temperature in Camarillo (Ventura County) reached a record high of 96ºF (36ºC) at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, the National Weather Service reported.
• California State Uni at Channel Islands campus, including student dorm, remained closed for a second day on Friday.

US Weather Hazards Map – May 4, 2013. Source: NWS

Related Links

• Thousands Flee California Wildfires  May 3, 2013
• Drought Disaster Spreads to Counties in 5 States May 2, 2013
• U-S Drought 2013: Fueled by Heat from Hell? January 31, 2013 [FIRE-EARTH Forecast]
• US: Drought Disaster 2013 [Index Page]