Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Containment Up To 70% on Fire Which Caused Thousands Of Evacuations In Ventura County Last Week

The Maria fire early Friday morning in Santa Paula

Firefighters made major progress over the weekend towards containing a 9400 acre brush fire in Ventura County. The Maria Fire is 70% contained Monday morning.

The fire started Thursday night on South Mountain near Santa Paula, and at one point threatened about 1800 structures. But, an army of firefighters aided by helicopters and air tankers was able to stop the flames before they reached ranches, and homes. Two structures have been confirmed destroyed.

By Saturday, there were virtually no flames and very little smoke visible. On Saturday night, all evacuation orders were lifted.

Firefighters are hoping to have full containment this Friday. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Southern California Edison officials say they reenergized a shutdown line in the area where the fire started around the time it began, but it’s unknown if that’s the source of the blaze.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
Related Stories