In less than 24 hours, the Camarillo wildfire scorched over 15,000 acres, leaving thousands of residents in a race against time to save their homes and their lives. The fast–moving wildfire erupted in Somis, with winds moving its way onto Camarillo Heights and the Camarillo Estates areas. Local authorities issued urgent evacuation orders as the fire intensified in strength and grew unpredictable.
The disastrous wild fire was first reported at 2:30 a.m on Nov. 8. By the time the sun rose, the fire had quickly spread. Fueled by winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour, the flames escalated and made firefighting efforts incredibly difficult.
“We’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Camarillo Fire Chief Sarah Martinez during a press conference. “The wind conditions are making it extremely challenging to get ahead of the fire, it’s burning faster than we can contain it.”
Hundreds of residents have been forced to evacuate as the flames edge closer to populated areas. Evacuation orders were issued for several neighborhoods, including those near Las Posas Road, Camarillo Heights and Vallecito Lane. Local Camarillo schools and businesses are closed due to structure damage from the wildfire.
“It’s heart wrenching to see this happening in our community,” said a longtime Camarillo resident Maria Garcia. “My family and I had to leave our home in the middle of the night with nothing but the clothes on our backs. We’re just hoping everything is still there when we can come back.”
With the mass evacuation, Camarillo High School had to be evacuated a round 12:00 p.m., during school hours. Many students stated that they were able to see the flames from the school, worried that their homes and loved ones were in danger.
“It was very stressful and sad seeing people frantic and worried about losing their homes that they made many memories throughout their lives,” said Camarillo High School student ‘27 Scarlet Brent. “I was worried about my home. Luckily the winds were going in the other direction, but I was still worried because anything can happen.”
The sudden disruption not only led to a halt in education, but also left many students and their families grappling with uncertainty, displacement and the emotional toll of living in a region increasingly affected by climate driven disasters.
“Knowing the fire was near my house made me overwhelmed, I was terrified [that] I was going to lose my house and lose every valuable thing I own,” said ACHS student Mia Zaragoza ‘27. “I was even more scared that my family wouldn’t have anywhere to stay or have anything to survive.”
