Ventura County received three significant reminders this month that it’s time to put away our umbrellas, let go of our finally-got-some-rain euphoria and get ready for the one weather outlook we can almost always count on — a long, hot summer, and with it, the constant threat of wildfires.
The first wakeup call came April 13 near where Highway 101 and Highway 126 meet in Ventura: a fire near a homeless encampment. It was only 100 by 100 feet, but that’s how many brush fires start.
Then on Friday, Camarillo hit 91 degrees, tying its 1987 high-temperature record for April 21. Ojai reached 93 and Simi Valley 92, all due to a ridge of high pressure and weak Santa Ana winds — a fire formula that will grow more dangerous as the county gets hotter and drier through summer and fall.
Read more in the Ventura County Star.
