The California Mountain Fire erupted. Find out where to get the latest information.

While the presidential election was the main topic of national news this week, a major natural disaster slipped under the radar: the Mountain Fire in southern California.

The massive fire has burned at least 19,643 hectares, destroyed homes, forced residents to evacuate, and blanketed cities like Santa Barbara with smoke, according to California Governor Gavin Newsom. Newsom recently declared Ventura County – north of Los Angeles – in a state of emergency.

“This is a dangerous fire that is spreading quickly and threatening lives,” Newsom said in a statement. “California has mobilized state resources, including crews, engines and aircraft from CAL FIRE and Cal OES, to protect communities as our fire and emergency crews work around the clock to fight this fire. Stay safe and stay alert for instructions from authorities area as dangerous fire weather continues.”

State officials advise those seeking the latest information to visit the CAL FIRE website (fire.ca.gov), which includes the latest information on warnings and evacuation warnings. CAL FIRE includes updates on all of California’s wildfires, with 10 listed as of Friday, though most are completely contained. The website includes detailed maps of fire paths, number of acres burned, causes if known, which fire departments are fighting them, and the latest updates, including road closures and fire status summaries.

Regarding the Mountain Fire, the website notes, “The fire is burning in steep, rugged terrain with dry and favorable fuels, which have challenged containment efforts. Fire activity has been limited due to reduced winds over the fire. The fire continued to retreat. In areas where it was not tied to containment lines.”

As of Friday afternoon, “The fire remains a threat to critical infrastructure. Islands of unburned fuel will continue to burn within the fire zone.”