Somis couple recounts harrowing escape from Mountain Fire
Families continue to return to the remnants of their homes ravaged by the Mountain Fire in Ventura County, including one Somis couple who narrowly avoided the flames while rescuing as many of their animals as they could.
Despite their loss, they're taking sparks of gratitude and resolve from what they can.
"It started right where my horse is boarded, so I called my trainer and I said, 'I'm coming out right now.' And he said, 'Don't you dare, the fire is here. It's all around us and you need to get out now — it's coming straight for you, I won't let the horses burn,'" said Jessica Butterfield. "And he didn't."
She and her husband Andreas Tompros spoke with KCAL News while standing in the still smoldering ash where their house once stood. Their home was one of five on Ridgecrest Lane that was destroyed with the massive 20,000-acre brush fire swept through.
They say that they had just about a 15-minute warning before the flames quickly took over their neighborhood.
"He had already loaded up the dog and I said, 'Go get the goats.' I got the cats and our puppy and then I went back to try and get our chickens, but it was too late," Butterfield said. "The forces were so big and the fire was right there and we had to go."
The Mountain Fire, which is still just over 30% contained, destroyed more than 130 homes and damaged countless others, also torching tens of thousands of acres of agricultural land, including the family's avocado farm.
"By the time I kind of steered her away from going back to the area where the chickens are to save them, the smoke was so intense ... the clouds were getting really, really heavy behind where she was and I just couldn't see much," Tompros said.
Home surveillance footage captured the moments after they fled and firefighters arrived, working to try and push back the smoke and fire before being overtaken.
The couple says that two-thirds of their working avocado farm were burned, along with the tools they used to cultivate and care for their crop.
"It's a risk of living in the beautiful places in Southern California," Tompros said. "You never think it's gonna hit where you live."
They say that six acres of their orchards were lost, just part of the massive amount of damage still being assessed by officials after several days of burning. So far, agricultural officials believe that there has been nearly $2.4 million worth of damage done countywide.
Despite all of the tragedy, the couple says that they'll use the insurance money they receive to rebuild in the same spot, which holds special meaning to them.
"There's something spiritual and magical about here, and we felt it since we moved here," Butterfield said.
Friends and family have started a GoFundMe for the couple, which can be found by searching for the keywords "Support Jessica and Andreas after the Mountain Fire."
