Maria Fire
{{Short description|2019 wildfire in Southern California}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox wildfire
| title = Maria Fire
| image = File:Maria Fire 2019.jpg
| caption =The Maria Fire shortly before flight operations were called off due to a drone on October 31
| reference = {{cite web|title=Maria Fire|url=https://www.fire.ca.gov/incidents/2019/10/31/maria-fire/|website=CAL FIRE|access-date=October 31, 2019}}
| date = {{Unbulleted list|{{Start date|2019|10|31}} – |{{End date|2019|11|06}}}}
| location = Santa Paula, Ventura County, California
| coordinates = {{Coord|34.302212|-118.997115|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map = USA California Southern
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Southern California
| cost =
| area = {{Convert|9,999|acre|ha|0|abbr=on}}
| buildings = 4 damaged
| cause = downed electric power line owned by California Resources Corporation during extreme wind conditions{{r|KCLU final}}
| landuse =
| injuries =
| fatalities =
| perps =
| motive =
}}
{{OSM Location map
| coord = {{Coord|34.302212|-118.997115}}
| zoom = 10
| float = right
| width = 250
| height = 200
| caption = Location of Maria Fire
| title =
| scalemark = 100
| shape1 = image
| mark1 = FireIcon.svg
| mark-coord1 = {{Coord|34.302212|-118.997115}}
| mark-size1 = 20
| label1 = Maria Fire
| label-pos1 = left
| label-size1 = 14
| label-color1 = black
| label-offset-x1=
| label-offset-y1=
| mark-title1=Maria Fire
}}
The Maria Fire was a wildfire that burned the south of the community of Santa Paula in the area of Somis, California on the top of South Mountain in Ventura County. The fire ignited in the evening hours of Thursday, October 31, 2019, and consumed well over {{Convert|4,000|acre|km2|0}} within its first several hours of burning.{{cite web|last1=Staff|first1=ABC7|title=Massive brush fire erupts on top of South Mountain near Santa Paula|url=https://abc7.com/massive-brush-fire-erupts-in-santa-paula/5663147/|work=ABC 7 Eyewitness News|access-date=31 October 2019}} Despite the aggressive initial attack by first responders, the fire exploded rapidly due to a strong Santa Ana wind event that was occurring in the area during its ignition.
Progression
On the eve of Thursday, October 31, at 6:13 pm, the Maria fire was reported burning at the top of South Mountain between Santa Paula and Somis and was seen making an aggressive run southwest towards the community of Somis as the fire expanded throughout that evening.{{cite web|last1=Carlson|first1=Cheri|last2=Diskin|first2=Megan|last3=Jazi|first3=Mo Najafian|title=Maria Fire atop South Mountain explodes between Santa Paula and Somis|url=https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/local/2019/10/31/crews-mount-string-response-new-fire-breaks-out-santa-paula/4113674002/|work=VC Star|access-date=31 October 2019}} Heavily influenced by 20-30 mph winds within the canyons, the fire became a full scale conflagration within its first several hours of burning, growing from 50 to 750 acres inside an hour, to over {{Convert|4,000|acre|km2|0}} by 9:45 pm.{{cite web|last1=Wigglesworth|first1=Alex|title=Brush fire in Ventura County explodes to 4,000 acres, prompting evacuations|url=https://ktla.com/2019/10/31/maria-fire-ignites-on-top-of-south-mountain-near-santa-paula/|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=31 October 2019}} The fire worked its way north towards Santa Paula in the Santa Clara River Valley, whose topography can serve as a wind tunnel for Santa Ana winds.{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-10-31/maria-fire-south-mountain|title=Maria fire charges toward Santa Paula neighborhoods, forcing additional evacuations|date=2019-11-01|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|first1=Hanna |last1=Fry |first2=Mark |last2=Puente |first3=Rong-Gong |last3=Lin II |first4=Alex |last4=Wigglesworth|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-01}} Mandatory evacuations were ordered for a wide swath of over 1,800 homes surrounding the fire area, affecting over 7,500 residents.
Shortly before 11 pm, a drone had been reported flying over the fireline which immediately caused the suspension and grounding of all nighttime water-dropping helicopters that were currently fighting the fire.{{cite web|last1=Day|first1=Brian|title=Maria Fire Ignites On Top of South Mountain Near Santa Paula; Thousand Evacuated as Flames Char More Than 4,000 Acres|url=https://ktla.com/2019/10/31/maria-fire-ignites-on-top-of-south-mountain-near-santa-paula/|work=KTLA|access-date=31 October 2019}} This hazard then allowed the incident to continue its critical rate of spread virtually unchecked. By 11:45 pm, the fire had reportedly grown to 7,400 acres with zero containment as the fire progressed predominantly westward.{{cite web|last1=Staff|first1=CBS 2 News|title=Maria Fire: Evacuations Ordered As Brush Fire Erupts In Santa Paula|url=https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2019/10/31/maria-fire-evacuations-ordered-as-brush-fire-erupts-in-santa-paula/|work=KCBS-TV|date=31 October 2019 |access-date=31 October 2019}}
During the day of November 1, three different DC-10 air tankers contracted to the US Forest Service (910, 911 and 914) and flying from Santa Maria{{Cite web|url=https://santamariatimes.com/news/local/air-tankers-flying-out-of-santa-maria-help-keep-maria/article_b75b8050-5279-5f41-b737-31991a14fa95.html|title=Air tankers flying out of Santa Maria help keep Maria fire at bay|last=Syed|first=Razi|date=November 1, 2019|website=Santa Maria Times|language=en|access-date=2019-11-04}} and San Bernardino airports made multiple runs on the Maria Fire, along with helicopters including an Erickson Skycrane.
Cause
Initial inquiries into the cause or origin of the Maria fire revealed that Southern California Edison (SCE), the power utility operating in the area, had re-energized 16,000-volt transmission lines in the vicinity roughly 13 minutes before first reports of the fire were received. The lines were de-energized beforehand specifically to avoid the possibility of its power lines causing fires due to the high winds in the area. SCE issued a statement indicating that it had no specific information on the cause of the fire and that it would "cooperate with the appropriate investigative agencies if asked to do so."{{Cite web |date=November 2, 2019 |title=Maria Fire |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/11/02/maria-fire-utility-says-blaze-began-minutes-after-power-restored/4138057002/ |access-date=November 2, 2019 |website=USA TODAY}} The final report issued in October 2020 on the cause of the fire cited a combination of extreme wind conditions and a power line owned by California Resources Corporation that touched a metal pipe on the ground after an electrical conductor separated.{{Cite news |last=Orozco |first=Lance |date=October 22, 2020 |title=Investigators Determine Causes Of Two Major Ventura County Wildfires Which Forced Thousands To Flee |url=https://www.kclu.org/post/investigators-determine-causes-two-major-ventura-county-wildfires-which-forced-thousands-flee |access-date=2020-10-23 |work=KCLU News |language=en}}
Growth and containment
| class="wikitable"
|+Fire containment status Gray: contained; Red: active; %: percent contained; !Date !Area burned acres (km2) !Containment |
| Oct 31
|5,040 acres |{{Percentile|0|height=20|progress-done-colour=grey|progress-tbd-colour=red|text-colour=white|text-size=10|width=160}} |
| Nov 1
|9,135 acres |{{Percentile|35|height=20|progress-done-colour=grey|progress-tbd-colour=red|text-colour=white|text-size=10|width=160}} |
| Nov 2
|9,412 acres |{{Percentile|35|height=20|progress-done-colour=grey|progress-tbd-colour=red|text-colour=white|text-size=10|width=160}} |
| Nov 3
|9,412 acres (38 km2){{Cite web|url=https://fire.ca.gov/media/10052/maria_11-3-19_pm.pdf|title=Maria Fire|website=CAL FIRE|access-date=November 4, 2019}} |{{Percentile|70|height=20|progress-done-colour=grey|progress-tbd-colour=red|text-colour=white|text-size=10|width=160}} |
| Nov 4
|9,999 acres* (Revised acreage from better mapping) (39 km2){{Cite web|url=https://fire.ca.gov/media/10057/maria-incident-update-110419-am.pdf|title=Maria Fire|date=November 4, 2019|website=CAL FIRE|access-date=November 4, 2019}} |{{Percentile|80|height=20|progress-done-colour=grey|progress-tbd-colour=red|text-colour=white|text-size=10|width=160}} |
See also
- 2019 California wildfires
- Mountain Fire (2024) - another Santa Ana driven wildfire in the same area
References
{{Reflist}}
{{California wildfires}}
Category:2019 California wildfires