Ventura County Wildfires Destroy Many Homes

Friday, December 15, 2017 by The Law Offices of J. Jeffrey Herman

Wildfires have recently devastated parts of Ventura County. Unfortunately, many homes have been lost and the fires are continuing to spread across the county. Fire officials say their main focus right now is to prevent the wildfires from moving into other areas. So far, about 65,500 acres have been consumed by the blaze. If you are driving in the area, you should be cautious. This kind of situation generally necessitates the intervention of a Ventura County burn injury attorney to protect burn injury victims.

Thousands of homes have been affected by the wildfires and about 27,000 people were forced to leave their premises. With over 150 structures consumed in flames, many people in nearby cities are afraid of facing the same fate. Many schools in Ventura County have already been closed and residents were encouraged to boil their tap water before drinking or cooking. Unfortunately, the fall weather has sparked more fire. After three months without rain, the wildfires have been made worse by the dry winds and hot season.

The wildfires are very dangerous as they spread rapidly across Ventura County and nearby cities. Although new shelters have been opened throughout the county and firefighters as well as local authorities are doing their best to appease the situation, nobody knows how long it will take before everything goes back to normal. There are also evacuation centers set up in other areas such as Santa Paula Community Center and Oxnard College Gymnasium

Although watercraft are also available, they only drop when the winds are less than 30 mph, and these winds are not expected to decrease any time soon. Many firefighters are working at night trying to prevent the wildfires from spreading but unfortunately, wind speed tends to increase during this time of the year. Some pumping systems aren’t working due to many power outages in the area. They are trying to repair the problems but it might take a while.

The burn areas include the mountains of Ventura and Ojai and east of Santa Paula. It’s a difficult task because these areas are huge and arid. Authorities have ordered a mandatory evacuation. Many residents have crowded the streets hoping they don’t have to leave. It is heartbreaking when you are forced to leave your home. But it is also dangerous to stay as these fires are not going to stop anytime soon and they continue being empowered by these kinds of winds.

So far about 12,000 homes are threatened by the flames and about 50,000 residents have been forced to evacuate. Many evacuees haven’t seen their homes since they left. Authorities encourage people to stop posting pictures of destroyed homes on social media. It can be heartbreaking for people who own these homes.

We hope this nightmare will end soon. Meanwhile, stay safe and seek shelter if your home has been threatened by the flames. The Law Offices of J. Jeffrey Hermanare here to help you with your burn injury claim in Ventura County.