Nearly 100 acres of Ventura County lands have burned due to two fires that began Monday, with the larger blaze nearly under control but the smaller growing with no containment in sight.
The smaller fire, the Howe fire near Torrey Canyon and East Guiberson roads, just south of Piru and the Santa Clara River, has grown overnight to 34 acres with zero containment as of 10 a.m., according to the Ventura County Fire Department.
The vegetation blaze was first reported at 6:20 p.m. on Monday and was roughly about four to five acres at the time.
Evacuation warnings have been issued for the area south of East Guiberson Road between Smith Canyon Road and Eureka Canyon Road. Access to East Guiberson Road from Torrey Canyon east to Eureka Canyon has been closed along with Torrey Road south of the 126 Freeway to East Guiberson.
Roughly 152 firefighters, along with 13 engines, one water tanker, five crews and other personnel have been assigned to the blaze. There are also several firefighting air tankers from throughout the state flying suppression missions as conditions allow, according to Cal Fire.
Fire personnel have limited the fire to less than 40 acres despite the rugged, hilly area terrain.
Firefighters have positioned a dozer and hand line around the fire perimeter, and are planning to work through the day to identify and mop up hot spots, according to the Ventura County Fire Department public information officer.
The conditions were warm and dry, with the temperatures in the Piru region at about 93 degrees on Tuesday and winds blowing at 13 mph. In neighboring Santa Paula, the climate was a little milder, with a high of 86 degrees and 12 mph winds.
About 18 miles west of the Howe, the larger Maria fire has grown to about 60 acres, but is 60% contained as of 10 a.m., according to the Ventura County Fire Department.
That brush fire began Monday just before 3:30 p.m. near South Palm Street and East Santa Maria Street in Santa Paula.
Within 90 minutes, 130 firefighters supported by two helicopters were on the scene with a third helicopter reaching the fire shortly after.
Crews successfully saved four endangered structures.
Andrew Dowd, a Ventura County Fire Department public information officer, clarified an earlier misstatement that the fire was declared “contained” Monday at 6:56 p.m.
Instead, Dowd said the blaze was merely “confined.” That means the fire’s forward progress stopped and it was not expected to jump a perimeter established by crews.
About 30 members of a fire crew remained to work on extinguishing hot spots and reinforcing the perimeter.
The cause of both fires is under investigation.
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