Tire debris from earlier blaze caused Ventura County’s Mountain Fire, DA says

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. - A year after the Mountain Fire tore through Ventura County, investigators now say they have determined how it began. 

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office says the Mountain Fire — which burned nearly 20,000 acres and destroyed or damaged 369 structures in November 2024 — was caused by heated tire debris from a tractor involved in a smaller fire a week earlier.

Investigators determined that fragments from the tractor’s burned tires during the October 30 Balcom Fire became dislodged and later ignited unburned vegetation downwind, sparking the Mountain Fire on November 6.

The backstory:

According to the District Attorney’s Office, a tractor driver was clearing brush on October 30, 2024, on a hillside near Balcom Canyon Road and Bixby Road in the community of Somis. He was using a four-wheel drive tractor with a flail shredder attachment to clear dry vegetation and prepare the area for cattle grazing when he noticed smoke and fire coming from the engine, a statement from the DA's office read.

The driver immediately called for help. Firefighters quickly suppressed the 1.8 acre blaze, but on November 6, 2024, a resident called 911 to report that smoke and fire were visible from the same area.

That fire then spread due to dry conditions and high winds. The Mountain Fire went on to burn nearly 20,000 acres and damage or destroy 369 structures.    

What they're saying:

"The Mountain Fire was absolutely devastating to our community. It was a heartbreaking and emotional scar that will last longer for all of this than it takes to rebuild anything," said Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner. 

Despite the scale of the disaster, not a single life was lost. 

The district attorney's office also announced that no criminal charges will be filed against the tractor operator involved in the initial Balcom Fire. 

"There is no evidence that he drove the tractor with the intention of starting a fire or that he was aware that one could occur," DA Erik Nasarenko said. 

What's next:

Fire officials say they are now adopting new post-fire monitoring policies, including drone reconnaissance and third-party review, in hopes of preventing a tragedy like this from happening again.