A DC-10 air tanker drops Phos-Chek on the Sharp fire July 3 in Simi Valley. The Very Large Air Tanker or VLAT is able to drop up to 9,400 gallons of fire retardant on a fire. Photos by MICHAEL COONS/Acorn Newspapers
It’s official: Fire season is here. Due to increasingly dry and fire-prone conditions, the Ventura
County Fire Department announced last week that fire season would begin on June 30.
The warning proved eerily prescient. The day of the announcement, a blaze broke out on Simi hillsides and another would erupt less than 48 hours later on fire season’s start date.
Then, on July 3, two new vegetation fires were reported, one near Sequoia Avenue and Aspen Street, the other in the area of Sharp and Ditch roads.
The Sentinel fire was first, igniting in the afternoon of June 28 near the 3400 block of Sentinel Court. Helicopters and air tankers were instrumental in halting the fire’s forward progress, which scorched nearly 5 acres before being contained.
The area, located on the city’s north side, has homes adjacent to open hillsides. None of the structures were threatened.
On June 30, the Knolls fire burned about 0.70 acres in the Santa Susana Knolls area near North American Cut Off and Woolsey Canyon roads, about a mile from the Santa Susana Field Laboratory. Around 130 firefighters from around the region teamed up to contain the blaze.
Firefighters from the Camarillo fire crew back off the line as the Sharp fire burns in a catch basin July 3 in Simi Valley.
Wednesday’s blaze at Sequoia and Aspen consumed 1.7 acres before its forward progress was stopped around 12:50 p.m. No injuries were reported.
The Sharp fire was reported at 1:45 p.m. July 3 near Ditch Road. As of press time Wednesday afternoon, the fire had consumed about 43 acres. Structures were threatened and some evacuations were ordered for homes on Ditch Road, according to vcemergency.com. By 3:15 p.m., VCFD said it was starting to get a handle on the fire with about 200 firefighters on scene and multiple fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters attacking the blaze.
The fire consumed about 133 acres before it was contained. The evacuation orders for residents along Ditch Road and evacuation warnings for people living between Erringer Road and Lost Canyon Drive were lifted shortly after 6 p.m. that same day.
Due to significant precipitation earlier in the year, the moisture level of brush and other fire fuels in the area had, until recently, been abnormally high, which pushed back the start of fire season. But as the sun began blazing and the air became drier, fire officials could see that moisture levels were dropping rapidly.
In a statement last week, Andy Van Sciver and VCFD Capt. Brian McGrath said that the amount of water in brush serves as an important indicator for fire departments as they work to determine an area’s wildfire threat level. When the moisture level drops to 60%, the danger level is deemed “critical” and can result in extreme wildfire behavior.
Simi Valley’s levels are dropping, with a live fuel moisture level of 85% as of June 17. In May, that reading had been more than 120%. Thousand Oaks was still above 100% in June, but its moisture level was falling quickly, too. Now that fire season is in effect, VCFD is suspending all burn permits and beefing up essential resources to combat vegetation fires. This includes four fully staffed hand crews, bulldozer teams that operate seven days a week and full staffing at the Lockwood Valley fire station. A fully staffed aircraft equipped with 3,000 gallons of water is also ready. This level of preparedness will remain in effect until the end of the fire season is declared.
A Ventura County firefighter puts out hotspots on the Sharp fire July 3 in Simi Valley.
During wildfire season, residents, workers and visitors must exercise heightened awareness and prioritize fire safety.
•To find out how to create a defensible space around a home, go online to vcfd.org/fire-hazard-reduction-program-fhrp.
•For information on dealing with wildfire threats, go to vcfd.org/public-info/ready-set-go
For emergency alerts, go to readyventuracounty.org/vc-alert
This story was updated July 5