Camarillo Airport Plays Vital Role in Fighting Mountain Fire

Widespread blaze began on Wednesday morning and quickly grew, pushed by Santa Ana winds.

Thursday, November 07, 2024 at 04:50 PM ET

Verified

The Mountain Fire prompted a Temporary Flight Restriction (TRF) and Camarillo Airport (KCMA) in Ventura County, California, will be closed to nonemergency aircraft through November 13. [Courtesy: Ventura County]

Key Takeaways:

Camarillo Airport (KCMA) is serving as a crucial base for aerial defense aircraft fighting the Mountain Fire, which is currently 0% contained and spreading rapidly due to Santa Ana winds.
The airport is closed to non-emergency aircraft under a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) through next week to facilitate safe operations for emergency crews.
The Mountain Fire has prompted extensive evacuations and caused structural losses, with smoke posing a major challenge to aircrews by reducing visibility.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Camarillo Airport (KCMA) in Ventura County, California, is playing a vital role in the efforts to extinguish the Mountain Fire. The wildfire began on Wednesday morning and quickly grew, pushed by Santa Ana winds.

The airport is being used as a base for the aerial defense aircraft, which may increase to 28 in all by this evening, according to Ventura County spokesperson Jannette Jauregui.

Meg Godlewski

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.