Overview
- Ventura County investigators said extreme winds on Nov. 6, 2024 likely dislodged smoldering rubber from a tractor’s burned tire, igniting the Mountain Fire outside earlier containment lines.
- The district attorney found no evidence of criminal liability and will file no charges, including against the tractor operator who was clearing brush during the Oct. 30 Balcom Fire.
- Fire crews contained the Balcom Fire to about 1.8 acres and later detected heat near a tractor wheel at roughly 300 degrees, but they assessed the site as secure and closed the incident.
- Santa Ana gusts reaching 70–80 mph and single‑digit humidity accelerated spread and grounded aircraft, with the Mountain Fire burning nearly 20,000 acres and damaging or destroying 369 structures without causing deaths.
- Ventura County Fire Department will expand post‑fire reconnaissance with drones, revise mop‑up procedures, and seek an outside review, noting similarities to recent holdover‑fire cases such as Palisades without alleging intent here.