Wildfire — Ventura County Coastal Valleys, California

2006-12-03 to 2006-12-05 · Ventura County Coastal Valleys, California

Event narrative

The Shekell Fire burned 13,600 acres around the community of Moorpark in Ventura county. The suspected cause of the fire was downed power lines near the MGR Design manufacuring plant. The gusty Santa Ana winds spread the fire quickly. Five homes were destroyed and five others were heavily damaged. The fire also destroyed the MGR Design manufacturing plant. Two minor injuries were reported when a fire engine overturned on a secondary road.

Wider weather episode

A strong Santa Ana wind event occurred across portions of Southern California. The strongest winds affected the mountains and valleys of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Scattered power outages were reported across the area due to downed power lines. In Ventura county near the community of Moorpark, the gusty offshore winds helped to spread the Shekell wildfire.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5399. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.