Posted on 12/04/2006 10:00:11 AM PST by bd476
Fire update: Air battle begins early
By Star staff
December 4, 2006
Updated: 8:45 a.m. Fire crews battling the wind-whipped Shekell fire took to the air this morning to try to get control of the blaze that has burned nearly 10,000 acres.
Nine helicopters and six fixed-wing aircraft went up at 7 a.m. to battle the fire that began early Sunday morning in Moorpark. It has destroyed five structures, including a building at the long-abandoned Egg City facility on Grimes Canyon Road, and damaged five others.
Getting the aircraft in the air was a major accomplishment for the crews. Their flying was limited Sunday because of the fierce winds that gusted up to 70 miles per hour. Aircraft must be grounded when winds hit 25 miles per hour.
On Sunday the firefighters were able to use some helicopters but not fixed-wing aircraft because of the winds. A D-10, like the one used on September's Day fire, was on standby in Lancaster and could be used today.
"We are expecting to hit it hard from the air and hit it hard from the ground," said Capt. Barry Parker, spokesman for Ventura County Fire Department.
More than 1,000 firefighters from agencies throughout Southern California are on the lines.
The acreage burned remained just under 10,000 acres and firefighters were looking to protect not only homes and people but the agricultural lands that dot the outskirts of Moorpark and Somis.
Winds were expected to continue to be a factor today but were expected to be sustained at about 25 miles per hour with gusts up to 45, which would be calmer than Sunday.
Parker said with the arrival of more firefighters, crews could begin to think about containment and not just keeping property from being destroyed. Firefighters hope to get some containment today, he said.
Early today, firefighters were still most concerned about the north side of Moorpark where about 75 homes were being threatened. Winds were pushing the fire west limiting the exposure to the Fillmore area, which had been a concern late Sunday.
Firefighters were working to keep the fire east of Balcom Canyon Road, south of Guiberson Road and South Mountain Road, north of Highway 118 and west of Alamos Canyon.
Highway 118 in the Moorpark and Somis area reopened this morning after being closed briefly as firefighters battled the wind-driven fire. The highway was closed between 4 and 5:42 a.m.
Ventura County remains under a high-wind warning until 3 p.m. Tuesday. The schools in the Moorpark Unified School District were closed today and a number of roads in the Moorpark area remained closed to all but residents.
Roads still closed according to the Sheriffs Department were: Highway 23 north of Casey Road; Gabbert Road north from Los Angeles Avenue; Grimes Canyon Road at Los Angeles Avenue; Balcom Canyon Road at Los Angeles Avenue; Bradley Road at Los Angeles Avenue; Walnut Canyon Road at Championship Drive; Highway 23 at Bardsdale Road, and Princeton/Campus Park Drive.
The fire began about 2:30 a.m. Sunday on Shekell Road at Grimes Canyon Road near the old Egg City complex. About 7 a.m. Sunday a second fire began farther east near Happy Camp Road and Broadway. The fires later merged into what has become the Shekell fire.
As the wind propelled the inferno, fire officials estimated about 3,000 residences were threatened.
Many people evacuated their homes with the Red Cross opening shelters at Royal High School in Simi Valley and the Thousand Oaks Community Center in Thousand Oaks.
Ventura County Star
Fire whips Moorpark
Raging blaze consumes buildings
By Zeke Barlow, Anna Bakalis, Marisa Navarro and John Mitchell
December 4, 2006
Two wildfires that started in the hills above Moorpark early Sunday quickly merged and charred nearly 10,000 acres by Sunday night, destroying at least five buildings and damaging five others as hard-driving winds pushed the blaze into backyards around the city.
The fire was heading north toward the Elkins Ranch Golf Course on Chambersburg Road in the Fillmore area Sunday night after having doubled in size since sunset. Officials said they would be fighting the fire overnight. The blaze burned through agricultural land, but no homes were threatened as of 9 p.m. in Fillmore and no evacuations were planned, officials said.
a With Santa Ana wind gusts up to 65 mph expected to continue today, more than 1,000 firefighters are working to keep the blaze from inching closer to the 3,000 homes still threatened.
"A firefighter's worst nightmare" was how Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Barry Parker described the conditions. "We are completely at the mercy of the weather."
The fire was uncontained Sunday night, and officials predict that today will be another long day as crews try to keep the fire from moving west toward more homes. All schools in the Moorpark Unified School District are closed today.
Hundreds of people were advised to evacuate their homes Sunday as the fire moved quickly and erratically up canyons and hillsides, burning at least six outbuildings. Many who saw wildfires in their backyards in 2003 and 2005 were amazed that there was enough vegetation left to burn.
"When this thing takes off, it really comes fast," Jose Martinez said as he searched for his cat Halo and packed up his belongings so he'd be ready to leave if the flames came too close to his home near the fire line. "It's pretty scary.
The fire started about 2:30 a.m. near Shekell and Grimes Canyon roads by the old Egg City complex, then spread to 1,000 acres in about seven hours. Another fire was reported at 7 a.m. near Happy Camp Road and Broadway, and the two quickly merged. The causes of the blazes are unknown.
The combined blaze, called the Shekell fire, was moving so quickly that it was difficult to fight at its head, so firefighters were mainly protecting homes.
"You cannot get in front of it -- it can take you out," Parker said.
Around the city, the five homes that couldn't be saved burned hot and fast. One home atop Walnut Canyon sent flames and ash across the city as the landscaping, fence and home burned to the ground. A cavernous building at Egg City, an old egg farm that now is a warehouse for artificial plant wholesaler MGR Design, burned down, shooting 50-foot flames and inky smoke into the air.
Ventura County Sheriff's Department deputies knocked on hundreds of doors and advised residents that the fire was nearing and that they should leave.
As of Sunday night, the recommended evacuations were along Broadway between Stockton Road and Highway 23, College Heights Drive, the Grimes Canyon corridor, Charles Street, Happy Camp Road and Gabbert Road north of Poindexter Avenue.
Emergency shelters were set up in Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley. About 20 residents were there by Sunday evening.
Several roads were closed during the day, including Highway 118. The state highway reopened by midafternoon but closed again late Sunday from Tierra Rejada Road in Moorpark to Somis Road. Grimes Canyon and Stockton roads remained closed Sunday evening.
On East Westwood Street in Moorpark's College Heights area, the Peacock family packed luggage, photo albums and several plastic bins of possessions into their white van.
Wearing scarves over their mouths, Robert Peacock, his wife Debbie and their three children quickly climbed into the van and drove to a relative's home in Newbury Park.
"I'm getting out of here before they tell us," Robert Peacock said. "I don't want to stay here and get smoke inhalation."
Many in the city of 35,000 were walking around with respirators and eyes bloodshot from the dense smoke that at times blacked out the sun. Homeowners used garden hoses to spray water on their roofs. The wind blew so fast and hard that it knocked down trees and nearly blew people down. Shingles were ripped off rooftops.
Families at the south end of Walnut Canyon Road packed up their vehicles and prepared their children to leave as the smoke thickened.
"I couldn't breathe; it was right in front of our house," resident Laura Mendez said.
When Anne Peters left her Walnut Canyon Road home Sunday, flames were lapping at her back door and she thought for sure that her house would be destroyed. Helicopters dropped water and saved her home, but her neighbors weren't so lucky. She saw one home burn to the ground as she was leaving and heard that a few other neighbors lost theirs.
The blaze's speed made it difficult for firefighters to keep up with the ever-spreading flames.
Bob Kelley, an off-duty Los Angeles County firefighter who lives in Moorpark, knew how quickly the wind could move the fire, so he drove up to Sir George Court to see if any homes had wood shingles. Sure enough, flames had jumped into a palm tree and were dancing on a shingle-roofed stucco home at 778 Sir George Court. While Kelley grabbed a garden hose, a neighbor called 911.
The fire quickly spread over the roof, easily burning the wooden shingles. Kelley sprayed the flames until firefighters showed up, dug their axes into the roof and doused the fire.
"I'm getting the hell out of here," one neighbor said as the trucks started rolling up the street.
Wesley Schriver was going through his last Southern California wildfire. He has sold his College Heights neighborhood home and is moving to Arizona this week, but didn't want to lose his roof before the new resident moved in.
"It's like I'm in a dream," he said while spraying down his roof. "This is not a happy situation."
While many residents packed up important papers and cherished photographs, one of the first things that John Lu grabbed was his new Wii video game system. He had waited 10 hours in line to buy it.
"The fire has never been this close before," said his cousin, Tom Nguyen, as they stood at their family home on Wheaton Court.
Many said the fire moved more quickly than the 2003 Simi fire that spread through Moorpark.
"It's going to hit us again and worse than last time," Carol Mosher said as she sprayed down the trees in her backyard. She took her two young children to her friend's house earlier in the day but wanted to help defend her home if needed.
The only injury reported occurred when a California Department of Forestry engine with three firefighters aboard tipped over on Shekell. They pushed the firetruck upright.
Then the firefighters, including the one with the injury, went back to the fire line.
-- Zeke Barlow, Anna Bakalis, Marisa Navarro and John Mitchell; staff writers Gretchen Macchiarella and Adam Foxman contributed to this report.
Raging blaze consumes buildings
saw some of the video where the flames were literally burning parallel to the ground, nasty conditions.
e0977-b1bwa00000 u n Urgent-NWS_LOX-RED_FLAG_ 12/04 657 RED FLAG WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM PST TUESDAY…
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA 921 AM PST MON DEC 4 2006
…Red Flag Warnings remain in effect until 6 PM PST Tuesday for Ventura County…the Mountains and Valleys of Los Angeles County and the Santa Barbara County Mountains for gusty offshore winds and very low relative humidity...
.Areas of moderate to strong offshore winds will persist through Tuesday midday. The strongest winds extend over Ventura and Los Angeles Counties from Locoweed Valley Southeast to Mount Lukens. The offshore winds are expected to become light to moderate and persist through Thursday.
Widespread and extremely low relative humidity will persist as well.
Humidity is expected to recover near the Coast as the strong offshore winds diminish by Tuesday though humidity is expected to remain extremely low over the high country through Thursday evening. With a prolong period of low humidity over the high country a Red Flag Warning may be extended through Thursday evening.
Please advise the appropriate officials or fire crews in the field of this Red Flag Warning.
caz252>254-050000- /o.con.klox.fw.w.0015.000000t0000z-061206t0200z/ Santa Barbara County Mountains / Los Padres National Forest- Ventura County Mountains / Los Padres National Forest- Los Angeles County Mountains / Angeles National Forest- 921 am PST Mon. December 4 2006
...Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 6 PM PST Tuesday...
Areas of North to Northeast winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 50 mph. Strongest winds extend from locoweed Valley Southeast to Mount Lukens. the winds will persist overnight and diminish midday Tuesday. Widespread and extremely low humidity will persist through the period.
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now...or will shortly. A combination of strong winds...low relative humidity...and warm temperatures will create explosive fire growth potential. Please advise the appropriate officials or fire crews in the field of this Red Flag Warning.
$$
caz244>247-288-050000- /o.con.klox.fw.w.0015.000000t0000z-061206t0200z/ Ventura County interior Valleys-Ventura County Coastal Valleys- Santa Monica Mountains recreational area-Los Angeles County Valleys- Santa Clarita Valley- 921 am PST Mon. December 4 2006
...Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 6 PM PST Tuesday...
A Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 6 PM PST Tuesday.
Areas of North to Northeast winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 35 mph. Strongest winds extend from Santa Paula Southeast to Woodland Hills. The winds will persist overnight and diminish midday Tuesday. Widespread and extremely low humidity will persist through the period.
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now...or will shortly. a combination of strong winds...low relative humidity...and warm temperatures will create explosive fire growth potential. Please advise the appropriate officials or fire crews in the field of this Red Flag Warning.
$$
caz240-050000- /o.con.klox.fw.w.0015.000000t0000z-061206t0200z/ Ventura County Coast- 921 am PST Mon. December 4 2006
...Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 6 PM PST Tuesday...
A Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 6 PM PST Tuesday.
North to Northeast winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts to 35 mph will diminish to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. A light seabreeze is expected to develop and the extremely low humidities will recover by Tuesday afternoon.
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now...or will shortly. a combination of strong winds...low relative humidity...and warm temperatures will create explosive fire growth potential. Please advise the appropriate officials or fire crews in the field of this Red Flag Warning.
$$
FORWOOD
EDIS-12-04-06 0921 PST
Which channel was that on? With the Santa Ana winds in the area, no wonder there is litle containment.
Yo-Yo, those look like huge planes. I'm wondering if they would be too large to navigate in and around some of the mountain passes and valleys.
The Santa Ana winds have been ferocious for this fire, yet add on the winds commonly generated by such wild fires and it makes airborne water drops very hazardous.
Calm winds down here on my part of the beach,...maybe the winds will let up soon....
That's good to hear about your beach area, Ernest.
I sure wish that the winds would give the firefighters a break soon, but the National Weather Service is saying that 25-35 mph winds with 50 mph gusts continue until tomorrow for Ventura County and Northwest Los Angeles County.
Ventura County Interior Valleys-Ventura County Coastal Valleys- Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area-Los Angeles County Valleys- Santa Clarita Valley- 921 AM PST Mon. December 4 2006
...Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 6 PM PST Tuesday...
A Red Flag Warning remains in effect until 6 PM PST Tuesday.
Areas of North to Northeast winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 35 mph. Strongest winds extend from Santa Paula Southeast to Woodland Hills.
The winds will persist overnight and diminish midday Tuesday. Widespread and extremely low humidity will persist through the period.
That is a lot of water. Could a 747 navigate through all the canyon passes down here?
Thanks Ernest!
Ping.
KSFN-TV ABC
Fresno: Local Firefighters are Helping Out on the Fire Lines
KSFN TV
Fresno Firefighter
12/4/2006 - MOORPARK, December 4, 2006 - With winds decreasing slightly, firefighters launched an aerial attack Monday against a ferocious wildfire that destroyed five homes and threatened hundreds more in a Ventura County community.
Six air tankers and nine helicopters took off shortly after dawn to begin dropping water and fire retardant on the stubborn blaze, which was raging out of control on the edge of luxury hillside estates and flatland citrus orchards in the area 50 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
"Today is going to be a good day for an aerial assault. The winds have slowed down a bit. we're expecting to hit it hard from the air and from the ground," Ventura County fire Capt. Barry Parker said.
No serious injuries were reported from the fire, which began early Sunday.
The area's dry Santa Ana winds, which gusted up to 60 mph overnight, had decreased to 20 to 40 mph but were still blowing in erratic and unpredictable patterns. That, coupled with low humidity and temperatures in the 70s, was making the fire difficult to fight, Parker said.
The National Weather Service issued a warning of extreme fire danger because of high wind and dry conditions.
The fire burned at least 9,700 acres, or 15 square miles, authorities said. It gutted a warehouse and five homes and damaged five other houses.
Meanwhile, firefighters rushed to battle another, much smaller brush fire that broke out 90 miles away, near a neighborhood of homes in Fontana. The blaze began Monday morning in almost the same spot as one that started Nov. 6 near the Sierra Lakes Golf Course and blackened more than 600 acres.
Monday's fire was close to dozens of homes, but the dwellings were not in immediate danger, San Bernardino County fire officials said.
The Moorpark fire began about 2:30 a.m. Sunday at two separate points near an egg packaging warehouse in this one-time farm town. The cause was under investigation.
About 1,000 firefighters battled the flames overnight, setting backfires to bring the two separate blazes together in an effort to better fight them, Parker said.
Their main concern Monday was keeping the fire boxed in a canyon area just north of Highway 118. If it jumps the highway, Parker said, it could burn down the canyon, over a ridge and into a neighborhood of homes in the nearby town of Fillmore.
Firefighters from Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Madera Counties are headed down to Moorpark to help out in the latest Southern California wildfire. Fresno County CDF has sent three fire engines, inmate crews and two bulldozers to help out. Tulare County CDF has also sent three engines.
Clovis Fire Department got the call just after six this morning. These valley fire crews will be working with the Office of Emergency Services Strike Team, helping with structure protection.
Battalion Chief Richard Cabral, Fresno County Fire Dept. said, "What they told us thus far is that they've had a couple of structures that they've had burned, several acres and there are Santa Ana wind conditions that are at the hurricane level."
This morning fire fighters were prepped on the extremely windy conditions with gusts as high as 70 miles per hour. They were also reminded of the five fire fighters who died while fighting the recent Esperanza Fire and to be especially careful of the windy conditions.
Local Firefighters are Helping Out on the Fire Lines
Good Grief.....LAFD talking about evacs.....huge ones!
City of LA planning evacs from 118 on the north, devonshire on the south, Mason on the west, tampa on the east.
bookmark
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