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Calmer winds on Friday aided California firefighters in their efforts to battle the once-uncontrolled Mountain Fire, as they worked to protect homes from the destructive blaze, officials reported.


By Friday evening, the fire had scorched 20,630 acres, with containment rising to 14% thanks to improving weather conditions, said Andrew Dowd, spokesperson for the Ventura County Fire Department, during a news conference.



The fire showed minimal expansion and little movement by the end of the day, Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner confirmed.


“The fire has laid down,” Gardner said. “That’s fantastic news.”

Evacuation orders for 3,500 homes have been lifted, but another 2,000 remain under evacuation, according to Ventura County Sheriff James Friedhoff.


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Sheriff Friedhoff added that residents of roughly 1,000 of those homes may be allowed to return by Sunday, though delays are caused by ongoing environmental inspections to ensure safety and routine searches by cadaver dogs. He emphasized that no missing persons have been reported.



Evacuation orders affected an estimated 15,000 people Thursday and Friday in communities throughout the Santa Susana Mountains and nearby foothills, stretching from Santa Paula to Moorpark, about 50 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, according to Sgt. Monica Smith.


The fire’s impact area is home to nearly 40,000 people, based on population data from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

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Ventura County Animal Services reported sheltering 115 horses, five ponies, three donkeys, seven sheep, 33 goats, four mini horses, one cow, and 20 alpacas as evacuees.


As of Thursday, the fire had destroyed 132 structures and left 10 people injured, according to Sheriff Fryhoff and Ventura County Fire Department spokesperson Andy VanSciver. The exact nature and severity of the injuries were not immediately available, though Cal Fire confirmed that firefighters were among the injured.


Officials did not provide an updated count of damaged structures as of Friday evening. Gene Potkey, a Cal Fire assistant chief, noted that intensive damage assessments were ongoing in the affected areas.


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