Extended Fire Season Begins With 2 Blazes

Fueled by record dry conditions, a brush fire burned 15 acres south of Lake Casitas on Sunday.

The blaze started about 1:30 p.m. along Red Mountain and burned north toward Casitas Dam. The cause was unknown, fire officials said, but downed power lines were reported in the area.

No homes were threatened and there were no injuries. Fire crews had the blaze contained in about two hours.

“They made quick work of it,” said Joe Luna, spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department. “It is the first fire of the season, which we opened a month earlier than usual because of the fire danger.”

A second fire broke out about the same time Sunday near Seacliff. It burned less than an acre along Highway 101 before crews extinguished it.

Fire season usually runs from May 15 through November. But after one of the driest winters on record, fire officials last week moved up the start to April 15 and warned that fire danger will remain high until Christmas.

“It is going to get worse as we get into the hotter, drier months,” Luna said.

Rainfall totals for Ventura County are less than 7 inches since July 1, compared with nearly 24 inches at this time last year.

Last week, fire officials mailed 17,000 weed-abatement notices reminding property owners to clear brush within 100 feet of their homes to curtail potential fire danger.

Homeowners have until June 1 to comply or risk being fined $635 and billed for county cleanup crews to do the work.