Santa Ana winds push another fire dangerously close to Southern California residences
PHOTO SAM ADAMS/ BROOKS INSTITUTE OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Captain Steve Davis (right) monitors the building flames as Jeff Silva employs a drip torch during a burnout in response to the School Canyon Fire. The two firefighters from the LACoFD and their crews worked late into the evening to battle the wildfire. |
As cold weather pounded the East Coast, Southern California was still facing fire danger into late November. Following the Topanga Fire that burned northwest of Los Angeles in late September, fire officials remained on high alert as Santa Ana winds continued to whip through the area. Their caution was warranted, as a major fire ignited in a rugged area between Ventura and Ojai, about 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
Preparation Pays Off
At approximately 0330 hrs on Friday, Nov. 18, a late-season fire erupted in dry brush in School Canyon, a hilly, rocky area above expensive homes. Joe Luna, the public information officer with the Ventura County Fire Department, says area departments had been on a red-flag warning and were therefore well prepared to respond to the fire. “We had resources ready to go in case a fire broke out,” he explains. “This gave us a jump on the fire to save homes and conduct better structure protection. We got in there right away, which helped calm residents.”
The hot, erratic Santa Ana winds pushed the predawn fire along ridgelines where it encroached upon 200 homes. Luna says the winds reached 50–60 mph, causing the fire to triple in size in just a few hours and burn 2,000 acres of brush.
Approximately 1,200 firefighters from throughout Southern California were soon busy battling the blaze. Fire officials closed roads and schools near the fire. While some area residents voluntarily evacuated, others stayed behind to fend off flames with their garden hoses. Luna says the fire never came within 100 feet of residences, but that there may have been some crown fires in backyard trees that caused residents to worry.
Winds calmed shortly after sunrise, but the fire continued to spread. By Friday evening, approximately 1,500 fire personnel were working the blaze, which had now burned nearly 3,700 acres, as well as about 150 oil wells operated by Aera Energy.
PHOTO JASON HUNTER/ BROOKS INSTITUTE OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Jamie Heald of the LAFD shouts up to the captain asking for instructions as the fire comes down a ridge toward homes in Ventura, Calif. |
Wind Worries
Local fire officials handed over control of the fire to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) on Saturday morning, as cooler temperatures and calmer winds helped firefighters achieve 60 percent containment. “The mutual-aid system worked wonderfully,” Luna says. “When [the] CDF arrived, the transition was seamless.”
Worried that winds would pick up again, fire officials ordered firefighters to attack the blaze aggressively. Luna says firefighters used bulldozers, water-dropping helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to prevent the blaze from growing. Helitankers would scoop up 2,000 gallons of water from the Pacific Ocean and then head toward the burning hillsides.
Although Saturday’s improved conditions gave firefighters a chance to make progress on the fire, wind gusts of up to 50 mph picked up again on Sunday. “The winds were so erratic,” Luna says. “This was our No. 1 concern.”
With a red-flag warning still in effect, fire officials were concerned about flare-ups. However, firefighters had built strong containment lines that kept the fire from making another run. By Sunday evening, the fire was 72 percent contained.
Monday brought cooler temperatures and calmer winds back to the area, helping firefighters achieve 90 percent containment. The CDF handed responsibility of the fire back to local officials at 10 a.m. that day.
Taking Control
On Tuesday, 30 personnel, including two fire hand crews, two engines and two fire patrols, remained on scene for mop-up operations and control improvement status. Full containment was achieved that evening at approximately 1800 hrs. Luna says fire crews stayed on the fireline throughout the week as a safety precaution.
Some media reports indicated that the fire started in the area of an oil field facility. Luna emphasizes, however, that investigators have not yet completed their investigation and, therefore, there is no way of knowing exactly what caused the fire. “There were many factors involved in the fire — erratic winds and hot, dry weather — take your pick as to which one caused it,” he says. “We simply don’t have that intelligence yet.”
The fire ultimately burned nearly 4,000 acres and destroyed two commercial storage sheds. The following agencies were involved in fire operations: Ventura County Fire; Ventura City Fire; the CDF; the U.S. Forest Service; the Bureau of Land Management; the State Office of Emergency Services; seven county fire departments; 34 city fire departments; the Pechanga Reservation Fire Department; the Ventura City Police Department; Ventura County Sheriff; the California Department of Corrections; the California Highway Patrol; Ventura County Animal Control; the Red Cross; and the California State Fair Board.
Luna says two firefighters suffered minor injuries, one involving smoke inhalation and the other involving a sprained ankle. Fire operations cost more than $3 million.
Janelle Foskett is the assistant editor of Wildland Firefighter.
