High Winds Fuel 2-Alarm Fire in Santa Paula Storage Facility

SANTA PAULA, Calif. – A two-alarm structure fire erupted late Tuesday night on the 1400 block of East Main Street, drawing a swift and aggressive response from firefighters amid dangerously high winds across Southern California. The blaze, which broke out shortly after 11 p.m. at a storage facility, quickly spread due to the strong winds, engulfing multiple storage units and vehicles, according to Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Andrew Dowd.

Video footage shared by VCFD on social media platform X showed heavy smoke billowing sideways and embers flying as firefighters worked to contain the flames. Crews from Ventura City Fire Department and Oxnard Fire Department were called in to assist, with Dowd noting that the additional units helped access the fire from multiple angles. Firefighters focused on preventing the flames from spreading to nearby vegetation, though Dowd emphasized that the fire occurred in an industrial area near railroad tracks, with “no interface nearby.”

The incident occurred on a night of heightened fire risk across the region, with high winds exacerbating the danger. Earlier on Jan. 7, multiple VCFD crews had been deployed to assist with another major fire in the Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica areas, which forced the evacuation of approximately 30,000 people and destroyed numerous homes and businesses. The Main Street fire in Santa Paula was declared under control after several hours, with no injuries reported.

Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the fire, and investigations are ongoing. Residents in the area were advised to remain vigilant as high winds continued to pose a threat to fire safety throughout the region.