Chaos and devastation: How the mountain fire erupted

Chaos and devastation: How the mountain fire erupted 
Ventura County Star, Ventura, CA; by Cheri Carlson and Tom Kisken; 11/17/24 
... The mountain fire that ignited 3 miles away was sweeping across Somis in a sprint accelerated by 80 mph Santa Ana winds that rattled the small ranches on their Ridgecrest Lane cul-de-sac. The fire soon leaped to the hills above Camarillo where it fed on more homes. It destroyed some 243 structures and threatened thousands more. In its first hours, the assault triggered roadside rescues, firefighters racing to get ahead of the flames and people scrambling to escape. ... It was lunch time at Bernadette’s, the residential care and hospice home at the bottom of Marissa Lane in Camarillo Heights. Four elderly residents, all in beds, had just started eating chicken nuggets and noodles. Sheriff’s deputies pounded on the door. Though smoke already filled the sky, a darker patch was coming. The home two lots away from the care center would soon burn to the ground. “It was like the apocalypse,” said Bernadette Abiera, the home's administrator. Deputies lifted the residents out of their beds and into wheelchairs. They rolled them down a hill to waiting squad cars. ...  The deputies ran back in to find two caregivers tending to a resident who was still eating his lunch. He wouldn’t stop. “I had to take the food out of his hands and carry him to the wheelchair,” said Deputy Justin Lopez. ... [Click on the title's link to continue reading.]