The Day fire has been contained after burning for a month and destroying thousands of acres.
JAIMIE FRANKLIN
News Assistant
The month-long “Day Fire” has been fully contained after burning almost 160,000 acres across the Angeles and Los Padres National Forests, becoming California’s fifth largest wildfire on record.
The fire began Sept. 4 on Labor Day in the remote, rugged terrain near Castaic, Calif., 60 miles north of Pepperdine’s Malibu campus. Immediately after it began, helicopters and aircraft were primarily used because ground crews were unable to reach the fire due to “limited access, steep slopes and extreme fire conditions,” according to a U.S. Forest Service statement released Monday.
The fire continued to spread gradually throughout the next week and a half but exploded on Sept. 16, when strong Santa Ana winds pushed it westward, nearly doubling the fire in size and threatening the communities of Ojai, Fillmore and Santa Paula, roughly 50 miles west of where the fire started.
Though Pepperdine was not threatened, the Pepperdine Fire Department was prompted to step up safety precautions on campus.
“Most of our resources are stretched thin, and we’ve just made sure everything is up to date now that its fire season and the Santa Anas are picking up. We want to make sure we know our terrain well and we’re keeping up to date,” said firefighter Kevin Pritchett.
Sophomore Brittany Sansone, a long-time Castaic resident, was alarmed when she learned that the fire was so close to home.
“My dad called me one night last month and told me that they had been told to prepare to evacuate,” she said in an e-mail. “It was pretty scary to think of my family or my home being in danger.”
By Sept. 25, ground crews were faced with extreme fire behavior and managed to protect 40 homes, a Boy Scout Ranch and a wildlife sanctuary in Lockwood Valley although nine structures were destroyed, including one residence.
A break came two days later, when winds calmed and light rain covered certain areas of the fire, giving personnel the opportunity to construct containment lines directly next to the fire. These conditions are ultimately what gave firefighters the upper hand in the battle.
“Temperatures are down, humidity is down, and wind is not factor at all,” said U.S. Forest Service fire and information officer Charlie Johnson. “There is some rain over the fire area but not enough to put an end to the fire season.”
Fortunately, containment was achieved with no deaths although a helitanker crashed and was heavily damaged Sunday while attempting to refill its retardant tank in Ventura County.
According to a news release from Erickson Air-Crane, the company that owns the aircraft, “Fortunately, the pilots, Shawn Lloyd and Fran Tebbe, were able to exit the aircraft on their own with no injuries.”
But the battle is not over. According to the U.S. Forest Service news release, although containment has been achieved, firefighters still have more work ahead.
“In the days and weeks ahead, firefighters will ‘mop up’ any remaining hot spots within the fire interior that could potentially cross the line. When all fire that could potentially jump containment lines is out the fire will be declared ‘controlled.’”
Residents in affected areas are also in the recovery process.
“There have been a few cancelled football games and from what my brother and sister have told me, physical activity of any kind is pretty strenuous because it’s so hard to breathe,” Sansone said. “I am just thankful that it has finally been contained and is no longer a threat to my city.”
According to Capt. Cash Reed at Pepperdine Fire Dept, wildfires in the Malibu area burn roughly every 7 to 8 years.
“We’re overdue here, and the amount of fuel out here makes it a difficult fire to contain,” he said. “Our plan is to deploy people to protect structures, and we’ve gotten our clearance zone opened to 200 feet. We are very proactive so when it does come, we’re ready for it.”
10-05-2006