SANTA PAULA (CBSLA.com) — A man was fatally shot in the head Sunday while driving an SUV in Santa Paula. Police responded to a call about an accident in the 200 block of Garcia  Street at 1:23 a.m. Sunday. When officers arrived to the location, the rear of Ruben’s Lounge Bar, they found an SUV had rear-ended a parked car. Upon further investigation, police found the driver of the SUV had been shot in the head. The victim was declared dead at the scene. His name is being withheld pending notification of his next of kin. Police said witnesses and an investigation led to the identification o ..read more

SANTA PAULA (CBSLA) — Crews were able to stop the forward progress of a brush fire that was burning in Santa Paula Monday which prompted evacuation warnings and closed multiple roads. The Cornell Fire ignited around 11:44 a.m. in the unincorporated area of Santa Paula along the Santa Clara river bed and grew to 173 acres as of 1:46 p.m. The fire was said to be staying within the river bottom but evacuation warnings were issued for the area surrounding Todd Road and Shell Road. The Ventura County Fire Department was working to control the flames on the ground as well as through air attacks. #C ..read more

VENTURA (CBSLA) – The Easy and Maria fires, which broke out in Ventura County last October, were both caused by electrical equipment failures, authorities announced Thursday. The Easy Fire burns near a ranch on Tierra Rejada Road near the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., on Oct. 30, 2019. (Getty Images) Southern California Edison was to blame for the Easy Fire, while in the Maria Fire, the California Resources Production Corporation (CRPC) was at fault, the Ventura County Fire Department reported. The Easy Fire, which erupted in Simi Valley, was caused by an electri ..read more

SANTA PAULA (CBSLA) — The Department of Fish and Wildlife is investigating a bear attack on a man working at a Santa Paula ranch last Saturday. The attack happened just before noon Saturday in an unincorporated area of Santa Paula, near Aliso Canyon Road, according to Ventura County sheriff’s officials. The man was treated for minor injuries. Authorities say bears and other wildlife commonly live near ranch properties and orchards, so people living and working in these areas should be aware of their surroundings and avoid direct contact. Bear sightings can be reported to the California Departm ..read more

SANTA PAULA (CBSLA) — A man and woman were arrested in a Santa Paula traffic stop after police say they found over 160 grams of methamphetamine in their possession. The arrest took place Friday just before 12 p.m. after the pair were stopped for a “minor vehicle code violation.” After officials looked into 39-year-old Jeremie Prado and 39-year-old Marlene Gomez, a search was conducted of the vehicle. “A records check was conducted which revealed probation search terms and a probation search was conducted,” Santa Paula police said in a statement. According to authorities, 53.97 grams of methamp ..read more

SANTA PAULA (CBSLA) – Four people who became trapped on an island in Santa Paula Creek amid rising floodwaters caused by heavy rainfall were lifted to safety early Monday morning by a helicopter. April 6, 2020. (Ventura County Fire Department) Sometime before 6:30 a.m., Ventura County Fire Department crews responded to an island in Santa Paula Creek, near the confluence of the Santa Ana River. With firefighters staged on both sides of the creek with throw bags in case any of the victims fell into the water, a firefighting chopper hoisted four people from the island to safety. One person was ..read more

SANTA PAULA (CBSLA) — A woman faces charges of child abuse and arson Tuesday after firefighters responding to a house fire in Santa Paula found her son with a plastic bag over his head and his hands tied in a bedroom by himself. Marical Magana, 47, was arrested after the fire was reported on Bahia Circle Sunday at about 6 p.m. Santa Paula police say a 911 call reported a structure fire with a woman tied to a bed and a young boy in another part of the home. Firefighters rescued Magana and her son and took them to Santa Paula Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. Santa Paula police says d ..read more

SANTA PAULA (CBSLA) – A Santa Paula mother faces arson and child endangerment charges Monday after she and her 3-year-old son were found tied up at the scene of a house fire, authorities said. Marical Magana, 47, was arrested Sunday just after 6 p.m. after police responded to a 911 call about a structure fire on Bahia Circle, according to Santa Paula police. Officers arrived on scene to find a woman tied to a bed and a young boy tied up in another part of the home as a fire burned in the downstairs living room. Ventura County firefighters responded and rescued Magana and the boy while putting ..read more

SOMIS (CBSLA) — Who is seeing signs of life even as the Maria Fire burns in Ventura County? These firefighters, who found a great horned owl stuck in tree branches and suffering from smoke inhalation. The owl was found Saturday in Somis on the ground, stuck in tree branches in a wash. The owl was weak and confused and suffering from smoke inhalation. Animal rescue! The @VCFD handcrew helped save this injured Great Horned Owl from the #MariaFire. The owl was taken to Wildlife and Environmental Conservation Inc. and is already on the mend. Check back to see our video with an update. pic.twitter ..read more

REAL-TIME EVACUATION MAPLATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS SANTA PAULA (CBSLA) – All evacuation orders have been lifted for the Maria Fire, which south of Santa Paula. All Red Cross shelters and animal shelters are in the process of being demobilized and no overnight evacuation shelters are available at this time. Fire personnel continue to make “good progress” containing the  fire, according to the official Ventura County Incident Information website. The fire is currently estimated at 9,412 acres and is 20% contained. The blaze broke out just after 6 p.m. Thursday in rugged terrain on South Moun ..read more