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Family's new home destroyed in Ventura County Mountain Fire

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Published  November 8, 2024 4:36pm PST
Camarillo
FOX 11

Fire destroys family home weeks after move-in

The Mountain Fire has burned more than 20,000 acres in Ventura County, and destroyed dozens of homes. The Bibby family's home was one of those homes. They just moved into the home weeks ago.

The Brief

    • The Mountain Fire has burned over 20,000 acres in Ventura County and destroyed several homes.
    • The Bibby family's home was one of the homes destroyed in the fire.
    • The Bibbys had just moved into their home weeks ago.

LOS ANGELES - Officials in Ventura County are still counting the buildings and homes damaged and destroyed by the massive Mountain Fire. 

At last count, more than 130 structures, the majority of which were homes, were destroyed. 

"It just breaks my heart. Nothing like this has ever happened," said Ken Bibby. 

Bibby is still trying to figure out the full extent of his loss. His family had just moved in and refinished the floors, with furniture and moving boxes still in the garage.

"We just moved back to Camarillo from Tucson, Arizona, into my family home. After two weeks of intense cleaning and moving, we were finally in our new home…We barely were able to evacuate as the flames were right across the street. We found out hours later our home burned to nothing."

Mountain Fire erupts to 20,000 acres

Crews continue to assess the damage after a massive wildfire ripped through Ventura County.

"I just felt like this finally started to become a home Tuesday night," he said sobbing. 

But the next day, the Mountain Fire broke out. He left work to evacuate his family as the winds raged and fire kept growing. 

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"The only thing I could get out was my 15-month-old, my two dogs, my disabled grandmother and my mom and my wife," he said. 

He and his wife are now going through the process of finding programs that can help them. But first they need to find a place to live. 

CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST ON THE MOUNTAIN FIRE

California's insurance commissioner reminds all evacuees that they can get relief for expenses associated with forced evacuations. 

Here are some tips. 

  • Keep all receipts during your evacuation.
  • Connect with your insurance company to get details about your coverage, limits, and documentation requirements.
  • Document the date, time, and names of any insurance company employees you speak to.
  • Don’t forget copies of insurance policies, important papers, and a photo or video inventory of your possessions.

Ken's situation is complicated because his wife inherited the house, but the Bibbys don't yet have the deed or even know who the insurance company is.  

The Bibby family has created a GoFundMe account to help them recover.