Mountain Fire burns Ventura County woman's home into ashes

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. - Jessica Graham stands where her front porch once welcomed visitors to her family's home located along Donlon Road. Today, all that remains of the porch and her home is rubble—the aftermath of the Mountain Fire.

"It's definitely a violating thing when you leave for work one day and have nothing to come home to—no clothes, no furniture, no food, no water," Graham said, reflecting on the shock of losing her home.

Like many others in this Ventura County community, Graham's home was reduced to ashes as the Mountain Fire tore through Somis. More than 20,000 acres have burned, and the fire has destroyed at least 132 structures—most of them homes. The devastating blaze remains only 5% contained, prompting Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency in the area, unlocking resources to aid firefighters and residents.

Fire officials have been working around the clock to contain the blaze, with plans to continue deploying heavy helicopters overnight, leveraging lower temperatures and reduced wind to tackle the flames.

"We're going to fly all of our heavy helicopters again tonight," a fire official announced in a recent press conference. "While the wind dies down, we'll take full advantage of the weather and the lower temperatures and continue to put as much fire out as we can."

The fire has resulted in at least ten injuries, most of which are cases of smoke inhalation. Fortunately, none of these injuries are life-threatening.

Despite the devastation, Graham is grateful for what couldn't be replaced. She says, "We're just grateful that we got out alive, and our animals are okay. Everything else is replaceable."

A GoFundMe page has since been launched to help Graham's rebuilding process. Those looking to help can click here.