More than 2,500 firefighters are still mobilized against the “Mountain Fire”, which broke out Wednesday near the town of Camarillo.
Its violence forced several thousand people to evacuate this hilly rural area, filled with hills and brush, where around 30,000 people live northwest of Los Angeles.
The flames initially spread very quickly thanks to powerful winds, with gusts of up to 130 km/h.
This surprised Linda Fefferman, who had to flee in disaster with her husband.
The car had barely been loaded, “we learned that a tree had fallen (on the road) and was blocking our exit,” she told local channel KTLA. “It was scary, because we felt like we were trapped.”
One of his neighbors finally managed to clear the obstacle with a chainsaw.
The couple managed to escape, but lost two pets and their house was engulfed in flames.
“It’s a total loss,” Ms. Fefferman sighed, her voice trembling.
Her husband returned to the site to assess the extent of the damage, but she is currently refusing to leave the emergency accommodation center where they are sheltering.
“Emotionally, I’m not ready,” she said. “I take things day by day.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in the region to help fight the fire.
The fire has consumed more than 8,300 hectares, according to the latest bulletin from the CalFire agency. A first estimate of the damage by the authorities shows 132 houses completely destroyed and around 88 badly damaged by the flames.
Friday morning, firefighters reported progress against the flames, thanks to improved weather conditions: the alert linked to the violent winds of recent days was lifted.
“The intensity of the fire has moderated due to decreasing winds above the fire,” CalFire agency explained in its latest bulletin.
But the region is not out of the woods yet.
“Fire remains a threat to critical infrastructure,” she warned. It “burns in steep, rugged terrain, with dry, receptive fuels, which has complicated containment efforts.”
After two rainy winters which provided a relative respite, California is experiencing a very active fire season this year.
The vegetation reformed thanks to the precipitation of the last two years has dried up and becomes a powerful fuel.
This summer, the “Golden State” suffered from several heat waves, signs of global warming.
In July-August, it suffered the fourth largest fire in its history.
