CA Fire update: Air battle begins early

Shekell Complex Fire Update

(December 4, 2006, 12:33 p.m.) - A fire started at approximately 2:30 a.m. on December 3, 2006 in the area between Shekell Road, Grimes Canyon Road, Balcom Canyon Road and Stockton Road in Moorpark.

Approximately 10,000 acres have burned. The Ventura County Fire Protection District and the California Department of Forestry have established a unified command. This unified command also includes mutual aid from various agencies including Ventura City, Oxnard City, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles City and Federal Fire of Ventura County. There are over 1,529 personnel currently on scene.

There is an immediate threat to 75 homes north of Moorpark. Areas still of concern are North Moorpark, Guiberson Road, Happy Camp Canyon Road, Grimes Canyon, Broadway between Stockton and S.R. 23, Poindexter Corridor, Gabbert Road, Charles Street, Campus Park, College Heights, Cambridge and Lafayette.

Three structures have been damaged and five have been destroyed. Five out buildings have also been destroyed. Currently, there is a 35% containment of the fire. It is expected that there will be full containment of the fire by tomorrow at 6 p.m. The estimated cost of the fire at this time is $1,750,000.

Areas that continue to be of conern are as follows: City of Moorpark, Somis and Southern Santa Paula. Some of the resources that are threatened are agriculture, oil production, high tension power lines, high pressure natural gas lines, highway 118 and potential archeological sites.

North East winds have been predicted through Wednesday, December 6, 2006. The wind is blowing at 20-40 mph with wind gusts of up to 70 mph.

There are no recommended evacuations at this time, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department will advise residents of possible evacuations and recommend that everyone be prepared.

Road closures are as follows:

Grimes Canyon Road at Bardsdale
Bradley Road at Balcom Canyon Road
Upper Balcom Canyon Road
Highway 23 - Walnut Canyon Road at Charles Street
Upper Grimes Canyon Road

American Red Cross shelters have been opened at Royal High School at 1402 Royal Avenue in Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks Community Center at 2525 North Moorpark Road in Thousand Oaks.

There was an accident with one California Department of Forestry (CDF) Rig that tipped over. One minor injury was reported. All personnel are back and working at the fireline.

California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection

Shekell Fire

Shekell Fire Incident Information:

Last Updated: December 4, 2006 11:30 am
Date/Time Started: December 3, 2006 2:30 am
Administrative Unit: Ventura County Fire
County: Ventura
Location: Grimes Valley area north of Moorpark.
Acres Burned: 9,686
Containment 0% contained - 9,686 acres
Structures Destroyed: Five structures and five outbuildings have been destroyed. Three structures have been damaged.

Threatened: There is an immediate threat to 75 homes north of Moorpark.

Evacuations: There are no recommended evacuations at this time.
Injuries: 1
Cause: Under Investigation
Cooperating Agencies: CDF, CHP, Ventura County Fire, Ventura City Fire, Oxnard City Fire, Los Angeles County Fire, Los Angeles City Fire, USFS.
Total Fire Personnel: 800+ personnel
Fire crews: 38
Engines: 107
Airtankers: 9
Helicopters: 11
Conditions:
There are no recommended evacuations at this time, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department will advise residents of possible evacuations and recommends that everyone be prepared.

Road closures are as follows: Grimes Canyon Road at Bardsdale, Bradley Road at Balcom Canyon Road, Upper Balcom Canyon Road, Highway 23 - Walnut Canyon Road at Charles Street and Upper Grimes Canyon Road.

The DC-10 has been activated on this incident.

California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection

bd747 writes "That is a lot of water. Could a 747 navigate through all the canyon passes down here?"

Wouldn't want to be on one if it tries. [GRIN]

For the DC10, current CDF doctrine is to use it to lay a buffer zone of retardant between the fire and a populated area to allow time for ground crews and traditional air to build a fire line. CDF uses their rotary & fixed wing (S-2T tankers) assets for the pinpoint stuff. Under current doctrine, don't think the DC10 would have to do any Luke Skywalker-like gyrations. Dittos for the 747, when we get one.

I worked a small fire (230 acres) last week east of Ramona in San Diego county. Winds gusting to 40 mph - not good. CDF and the local fire departments were all over that fire like a cheap suit. The S-2Ts were a pleasure to watch - even in the gusty winds they were making drops with pinpoint accuracy. 1200 gallons on the right place works, too.

Strzelec wrote: " 'bd747 writes "That is a lot of water. Could a 747 navigate through all the canyon passes down here?'

Wouldn't want to be on one if it tries. [GRIN]"

LOL!

"For the DC10, current CDF doctrine is to use it to lay a buffer zone of retardant between the fire and a populated area to allow time for ground crews and traditional air to build a fire line. CDF uses their rotary & fixed wing (S-2T tankers) assets for the pinpoint stuff. Under current doctrine, don't think the DC10 would have to do any Luke Skywalker-like gyrations. Dittos for the 747, when we get one."

Thanks Strzelec, that's very interesting and it makes sense to use a big water drop to make a protective buffer zone.

Those helicopter pilots and smaller plane pilots though look like they must be fighting some pretty tough conditions navigating through the heavy smoke and the fire-generated winds in the middle of Santa Ana conditions.

"I worked a small fire (230 acres) last week east of Ramona in San Diego county. Winds gusting to 40 mph - not good. CDF and the local fire departments were all over that fire like a cheap suit. The S-2Ts were a pleasure to watch - even in the gusty winds they were making drops with pinpoint accuracy. 1200 gallons on the right place works, too."

That's interesting and it's good to hear that Free Republic has a resident firefighter. :-)

Depending upon conditions, aren't the smaller fires sometimes just as deadly as the larger fires?

Not a firefighter, although I've had a fair amount of such training in the Navy and the natural gas industry. I'm basically a volunteer radio operator for some of the emergency response groups in the area. Wildfires are our number one problem, especially in eastern San Diego county.

Sometimes I get called out early in an incident when the situation is best described as being fluid. If you don't know something about wildland fires and how they are fought (and they are vastly different than structure fires), you could find yourself in some "No Man's Land" between the flames and the retardant drops.

All fires are dangerous. Whether large or small, what causes problems is lack of good information (definitely impacted by the quality of communications) and/or complacency. Firefighters that are too complacent either forget their training, or take short cuts. That leads to mistakes that can be fatal.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.