'LIKE ARMAGEDDON' BLAZE JUMPS TWO FREEWAYS IN SIMI VALLEY.Byline: Andrea Cavanaugh and Rachel Uranga Staff Writers A fast-moving wildfire swept through eastern Ventura County on Saturday, destroying mobile homes in Moorpark, threatening hundreds of houses in Simi Valley Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. and devouring thousands of acres of tinder-dry brush. The fire that started Thursday near Val Verde Val Verde may mean:
1. Santa Ana wind, a local Southern California reference to Föhn winds, a meteorological phenomenon occurring as a layer of wind is forced over a mountain range -- drying the air -- which then passes over the crest and begins to move downslope -- toward Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. . Flames crept over a ridge and into Villa del Arroyo, a 240-unit mobile home park that caters to mostly elderly residents. No injuries were reported, but six mobile homes were destroyed, officials said. ``We rescued two elderly people from trailers that were burning from behind,'' paramedic par·a·med·ic n. A person who is trained to give emergency medical treatment or assist medical professionals. paramedic Lou Farah said. ``We were surrounded by flames and couldn't get out for about 25 minutes. It was a conflagration. It was like a battlefield. ``The fire people showed up just in the nick of time.'' More than 500 firefighters from Ventura and Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. counties worked the line, aided during daylight hours by water-dropping helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft "Airplane" and "Aeroplane" redirect here. For other uses, see Airplane (disambiguation). A fixed-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air craft where movement of the wings in relation to the aircraft is not used to generate lift. . Hand crews took over after dark, trying to get ahead of the flames before daybreak today, when the winds are expected to pick up again. Firetrucks were posted at key points in neighborhoods in Simi Valley and Moorpark, with crews prepared to take a stand if the flames came their way, officials said. By 8 p.m. Saturday, the fire had devoured 9,300 acres, with zero containment reported. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. when we are going to get a handle on this fire,'' said Steve Cookus, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department Not to be confused with Los Angeles Fire Department. The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD), serves unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, as well as 58 cities and towns that choose to have the county provide fire and EMS services, including the City of La . ``I know that the hand crews are spread so thin and that the fire companies are spread thin throughout the day, with all the fires going on.'' As smoke filled the sky and flames advanced over the ridgelines, concerned residents flooded the switchboards of the Simi Valley Police Department The Simi Valley Police Department (SVPD) is the police department of the city of Simi Valley, California. The department currently has over 120 sworn officers, and more than 65 support personnel[1]. The department has a patrol area that covers over 39 square miles. and the sheriff's substation in Moorpark, asking whether they should evacuate. No formal evacuations were ordered, but hundreds of residents left voluntarily. Evacuation centers were set up in Simi Valley, Moorpark, Fillmore and Thousand Oaks. ``We saw it come over the 118 (Freeway) and we thought we might have a problem,'' said Gary Rodriquez, loading 14 skittish skit·tish adj. 1. Moving quickly and lightly; lively. 2. Restlessly active or nervous; restive. 3. Undependably variable; mercurial or fickle. 4. Shy; bashful. horses into trailers at Rancho Allegre in Moorpark. ``When we saw the fire come over the hill, we knew we'd better do something fast.'' Moorpark College canceled its football game against rival Ventura College when flames came racing down the hills toward campus. ``I was watching the flames take over the hill - it was moving so fast,'' said Michael Briggs, 19, a receiver on the Moorpark team. ``People were all panicked.'' Residents who live near the college had been watering down their roofs and lawns throughout the day, but began to pour out of their homes, he said. ``They just started to leave on their own. We couldn't breathe. Ash was flying in our faces,'' he said. Moorpark College police Officer Vahid Jafroodi said all the sprinklers on campus had been turned on, and some of the animals from the college's famed Exotic Animal Compounds had been evacuated while officials kept an eye on the flames' advance. ``It's coming at us from all sides,'' he said. The blaze began Thursday near Val Verde and destroyed one travel trailer before winds pushed flames east along state Highway 126 toward Ventura County. It took less than three hours for the fire to burn the eight miles from Piru to Moorpark and Simi Valley, said Joe Luna, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department Not to be confused with Ventura Fire Department. The Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) provides fire protection and emergency response services for the unincorporated areas of Ventura County, California, and for six other cities within the county. . Because of fire danger and heavy smoke, the 118 and 23 freeways, Tierra Rejada Road and Old Los Angeles Avenue were closed to traffic. About 1,200 residents of Piru faced a voluntary evacuation Saturday, and the blaze crept within 30 feet of several homes in the community. ``I opened the front door and I could feel the heat,'' said Katherine Ponce, whose pickup truck, packed with photographs and clothing, was parked nose-out in the driveway. ``It was so hot and fast and scary.'' Andrea Cavanaugh, (805) 583-7604 andrea.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1 -- color) An ominous sky looms over motorists on the westbound 118 Freeway on Saturday evening as flames rage out of control. Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer (2 -- color) A firefighter battles a roaring blaze that began in Old Waterman Canyon on Saturday. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News (3 -- 5 -- color) At left, a firetruck and its crew prepare to battle flames along the 23 Freeway in Moorpark on Saturday night. Below left, a firefighter is silhouetted by the inferno burning right up to the freeway's edge. Below, a line of fire snakes its way through the hills, dwarfing a crew fighting flames along the roadside. By 8 p.m. Saturday, the two- day-old fire had consumed 9,300 acres, with zero containment reported. Andy Holzman and Tina Burch/Staff Photographers |
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