Just two months after facing a massive fire that burned more than 20,000 acres, Ventura County, California, braced for dangerous fire conditions again into Wednesday morning.
The National Weather Service on Tuesday afternoon downgraded the severity of the county's forecast to a more general red flag warning, indicating increased fire danger. But forecasters predicted stronger wind gusts on Wednesday, which could lead to “explosive fire growth.”
Calm winds moving through valleys in Ventura County on Tuesday could help firefighters stop the spread of a roughly 56-acre fire that ignited in a grassy riverbed Monday night. By Tuesday afternoon, the fire was 25% contained, according to Cal Fire.
Fires continued to burn across Southern California on Tuesday, and fire officials in Ventura County, northwest of Los Angeles, encouraged residents to remain vigilant and prepared. This is something the residents themselves are also working on.
“This weekend, my wife and I were looking through our house and considering what to bring,” said Andrew Dowd, public information officer for the Ventura County Fire Department. “We were talking about where we would meet if we had to leave.”
Located between Los Angeles to the southeast and Santa Barbara to the northwest, the county features 49 kilometers of Pacific coastline, making it an attractive destination for surfers and beachgoers alike. Further inland, smaller cities like Ojai offer spas and wellness resorts that offer an escape from busy city life.
Half of the county's 1.2 million acres are occupied by farms and the Los Padres National Forest.
Ventura County was originally part of Santa Barbara County, but was separated in 1873 and had an original population of approximately 3,500 people. According to the 2020 Census, there are currently more than 840,000 residents, making it the 11th most populous county in the state.
But Ventura County residents pay the price of living near both beaches and mountains. The median price of a single-family home in Ventura County last year was $912,000, according to the California Association of Realtors.
