Authorities announced Thursday night that at least 1,800 structures were affected by the wildfire. Firefighting efforts were impeded by what appeared to be a civilian drone. By Friday morning, the fire was “completely uncontained,” NPR reported.
— CB (@spookadibeppo) November 1, 2019
— Ayr oh (@Stcrazypants) November 1, 2019
"Earlier this evening, our firefighting aerial efforts were hampered by someone flying an unmanned aerial system in the area," Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said in a press briefing Friday. "This created quite a dangerous situation. Not only is it illegal, but it hampers our firefighting efforts."
— VCFD PIO (@VCFD_PIO) November 1, 2019
— Stuart Palley (@stuartpalley) November 1, 2019
Several school districts in the area canceled classes Friday due the Maria Fire. A smaller fire, dubbed Easy, also broke out Wednesday in Ventura County and has burned down at least 1,800 acres. However, authorities say that the Easy Fire is about 80% contained.
— Lianne 🇺🇸 (@LianneOnLife) November 1, 2019
Local residents shared shocking photos and videos of the fire on their social media accounts. The fire is expected to destroy millions of dollars worth of avocados, oranges and lemons, authorities announced Friday. Ventura County is one of the region’s main agricultural producers.
— VCscanner (@VCscanner) November 1, 2019
— Stuart Palley (@stuartpalley) November 1, 2019
"We are actively engaged in structure protection as well as protecting the agricultural assets there with avocados and citrus orchards that have significant values," Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen told reporters Thursday night, NBC News reported.
— Jeff (@jeffontiv17) November 1, 2019
Firefighters have also been scrambling to contain the Kincade Fire in Northern California that broke out last week. It has burned down at least 77,000 acres and obliterated around 350 structures, ABC News reported. The blaze is about 65% contained but is not expected to be fully contained until the end of this week.
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) November 1, 2019
— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) November 1, 2019
The Tick Fire in Southern California destroyed at least 29 structures and forced tens of thousands of residents to flee for safety; however, the blaze has since been contained by officials. Tick Fire-related evacuation orders were lifted early Thursday.
— Michel Brewer (@MichelBrewer) November 1, 2019
On October 27, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency across all of California.
“We are deploying every resource available, and are coordinating with numerous agencies as we continue to respond to these fires. It is critical that people in evacuation zones heed the warnings from officials and first responders, and have the local and state resources they need as we fight these fires,” Newsom said in a press release last week.
