FEELING THE HEAT BLAZE THREATENS RESIDENTS IN PIRU.Byline: Andrea Cavanaugh Staff Writer PIRU PIRU Public Information Reference Unit PIRU People in Red Uniform (band) - About 1,200 residents of Piru faced a voluntary evacuation Saturday as a wind-whipped fire that started in Val Verde Val Verde may mean:
More than 500 firefighters, five water-dropping helicopters and eight 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. assaulted flames by land and air Saturday, but were hampered by 25 mph winds and 90-degree temperatures. A travel trailer A travel trailer or caravan is a trailer towed behind a road vehicle (or even a horse) to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable, sheltered and protected than a tent (although there are fold-down tent trailers [1]) . was destroyed near Val Verde, and the blaze crept within 30 feet of several homes in Piru before firefighters beat back the flames. ``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.'' Despite a recommendation to evacuate, most Piru residents chose to stay close to their properties, their eyes on the billowing bil·low n. 1. A large wave or swell of water. 2. A great swell, surge, or undulating mass, as of smoke or sound. v. bil·lowed, bil·low·ing, bil·lows v.intr. 1. smoke. Resident Pat Manning said he had no plans to evacuate the 14 horses, along with the cows, donkeys, goats, rabbits, pigs, chickens, cats and dogs Cats and Dogs A slang term referring to speculative stocks that have short or suspicious histories for sales, earnings, dividends, etc. Notes: In a bull market analysts will often mention that everything is going up, even the cats and dogs. on his property, even though flames flickered less than a mile away. ``We're not worried,'' he said, gesturing at the large expanse of bare dirt that lay between him and the fire. ``There's nothing back there to burn.'' But Renee Talley, who lives in Newhall, brought her two boys to an emergency shelter set up by the American Red Cross American Red Cross: see Red Cross. in Fillmore. ``The fire jumped across the highway, then the hillside behind us caught on fire,'' said Talley, whose family was the shelter's only occupants Saturday afternoon. ``The fire was maybe a quarter-mile away.'' Homes in Piru got extra protection Saturday from firefighters called off the 1,200-acre Piru Canyon fire, which had started Thursday in an area sheltered from the gusty gust·y adj. gust·i·er, gust·i·est 1. Blowing in or marked by gusts: a gusty storm. 2. Characterized by sudden outbursts. Santa Ana winds Santa Ana Winds may refer to: 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 -- . The two fires were about five miles apart. ``We had enough warning and enough equipment to protect individual structures,'' Santa Barbara County Firefighter Ralph DeVane said. ``It was kind of fortuitous.'' The blaze began near Val Verde on Thursday and destroyed one travel trailer before winds pushed flames east along state Highway 126 toward Piru. ``It was simmering on the ridge, then it got up and ran,'' said David Freed, a program liaison with the U.S. Forest Service. ``It's definitely a wind-driven fire.'' Smoke from the fire choked the Santa Clara River Valley The Santa Clara River Valley is a rural region of eastern Ventura County, California and northwest Los Angeles County, California that is named for the Santa Clara River which winds through the valley before emptying into the Pacific Ocean between the cities of Oxnard and Ventura. and could be seen as far south as Calabasas and Thousand Oaks, where winds carried ash from the fire. Early Saturday afternoon, flames crossed Highway 126 and crackled crack·le v. crack·led, crack·ling, crack·les v.intr. 1. To make a succession of slight sharp snapping noises: a fire crackling in the wood stove. 2. through the Santa Clara riverbed, heading south toward Simi Valley. ``If it blows like this through the night, we've got our work cut out for us,'' Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Kurt Schaefer said. Highway 126 was closed about 9 a.m. Saturday from Piru to San Martinez Grande Canyon, west of Interstate 5. Eastbound traffic on Highway 126 was diverted south at Fillmore onto Highway 23. Staff Writer Eugene Tong contributed to this report. Andrea Cavanaugh, (805) 583-7604 andrea.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Above, A Highway Patrol officer stops motorists from passing through on a section of Highway 126 near Ojai on Saturday. Right, Smoke roils high into the sky on Saturday during a fire that burned within 30 feet of some Ojai homes. State Highway 126 westbound was closed to traffic due to the fire, which started in Val Verde and was whipped up by 25 mph-plus Santa Ana winds. (3) Fast-moving flames roar up the side of Highway 126 on Saturday, helped along by 25 mph winds and 90-degree weather. More than 500 firefighters, five water-dropping helicopters and eight fixed-wing aircraft battled the blaze. John Lazar/Staff Photographer |
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