Madre Fire reaches almost 80,000 acres
The state’s largest wildfire of the year has grown to almost 80,000 acres in San Luis Obispo County, resulting in the closure of a nature area, officials said July 5.
The Madre Fire broke out shortly after 1 p.m. on July 2 along Highway 166. The blaze resulted in the closure of the Carrizo Plain National Monument, where it is burning, said Andrew Madsen, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service.
The fire has not claimed any homes, he said.
Madsen said the monument is an ecologically sensitive area known for “superblooms” of wildflowers. The area is home to diverse communities of wildlife and plant species including several listed as threatened or endangered, according to a Bureau of Land Management website.
The monument area encompasses more than 200,000 acres of land located north of Highway 166 and west of Highway 33.
Federal and state officials said the wildfire remains active with wind-driven runs that allow for continued fire growth to the southeast.
Hundreds of fire personnel have been involved in the response, a figure that reportedly includes firefighters from Ventura and Kern counties. Firefighters are attacking the blaze with water and retardant, Madsen said.
Oxnard Police Department
Youth caught with loaded handgun
A 15-year-old youth was caught with a loaded handgun on July 3 and arrested on suspicion of numerous firearm violations, Oxnard police said.
Officers said they detained the individual with the 9mm weapon around 11 p.m. after attempting to contact a group of individuals in an alley in the 300 block of Cuesta del Mar. The others fled.
The address is located north of Hueneme Road and west of Saviers Road in south Oxnard.
Police ask that anyone with information on the case or other criminal activity contact the Oxnard Police Department at 805-385-7600, or online by clicking on the “Report Suspicious Activity” tab on the agency’s website at www.oxnardpd.org.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Madre Fire reaches 80K acres, more news