Moorpark Fire Threatens 2 Homes, Farm Animals

Santa Ana winds scorched Ventura County on Saturday, the strong gusts carrying summer-like heat and touching off one 10-acre brush fire near Moorpark that briefly threatened houses and livestock.

While firefighters quickly doused the blaze, they cautioned that the winds and high temperatures have created conditions that could still lead to a major fire.

With only about a month left in the fire season, officials also said the county has been lucky this year--with most of an estimated dozen blazes limited to under eight acres.

The only major exception was the July Holser Canyon fire in Piru that scorched 2,500 acres and took the life of an inmate crew member working the blaze.

“We’ve been fortunate so far,” said Sandi Wells, a spokeswoman for the Ventura County Fire Department. “We’ve had some volatile weather this season, so things could have been worse.”

Officials credited the low number of fires to vigilant brush removal and increased public education about the dangers of tossing out lighted cigarettes and abandoning campfires.

But, said Wells, the season isn’t over.

October is the month when the biggest and largest fires generally hit, said Wells, and Saturday’s blaze erupted during near record-breaking weather. Temperatures reached 90 degrees and the heat was expected to continue today.

A series of fires that wracked Southern California in 1993, including an 85,000-acre blaze in Thousand Oaks and nearby mountain and coastal areas, all happened in the last week in October.

“If someone even welds a fence on a day like this, anything can happen,” Wells said.

No heat records were set in the county Saturday. But, for the first time this fall, coastal regions were hotter than the valleys, according to the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

The mercury reached 92 in Oxnard and 90 in Ventura while it was 89 degrees in Simi Valley. A daytime record of 91 degrees was reported at the airport in Santa Barbara.

“The Santa Ana winds passed over everything and caused a friction and friction causes heat,” said Bill Hoffer, a government meteorologist.

Highs on the coast today will be in the high 80s and low 90s and temperatures inland are expected to reach the low 90s. Hoffer said to expect those temperatures to drop 10 degrees by Tuesday. Lows should remain in the low 50s.

Saturday’s hot winds and dry air could have been a recipe for disaster if firefighters had not been able to quickly control the blaze near Moorpark, Wells said.

Sparking power lines caused the 10-acre brush fire to erupt in fields along the 8300 block of Waters Road.

Gusty winds up to 35 miles per hour pushed the power lines together, causing them to shoot off sparks and ignite the 6-foot tall dry brush growing below, fire officials said.

“Today’s fire had significant potential,” Wells said. “It was very gusty, and the canyons can be very erratic, throwing sparks and embers in every direction. And it was hot and dry. We haven’t had any rain in awhile. Had we not had the amount of equipment on scene, homes would’ve been at risk [in addition to] the crops and animals boarded in the area.”

Although two homes were temporarily threatened by the blaze, no one was evacuated while firefighters doused the flames, Wells said.

Tim Hagel, a Ventura County sheriff’s deputy, lives across the street from where the fire broke out and was the first to call 911. Hagel said the electricity temporarily went out at his home, prompting him to step outside. That is when he saw the fire.

“I saw these huge flames,” said Hagel, who described how he ran to a water truck he keeps on his property. “By the time I got back, I saw these 25-foot flames. That was a little worrisome.”

Hagel said his wife moved horses from a ranch nearest the blaze to another pasture for safe keeping. But ultimately no structures were damaged and no one was hurt, Wells said.

Wells said an emergency plan was already in effect Saturday because of the heat, low humidity and high winds. Extra emergency crews patrolled danger zones within the county, especially the canyon areas. Three extra engines and a water tender are also on standby, Wells said.

The extra patrols were called out to Saturday’s blaze, Wells said.

“And that made a big difference,” Wells said.

About 150 people responded to the fire, including county firefighters, officers from the Sheriff’s Department, the California Department of Forestry, and the California Highway Patrol.

Dirmann is a Times staff writer, and Wolcott is a reporter for Times Community News.