FIRE SEASON ERUPTS EARLY : WIND-WHIPPED BLAZE CHARS 9,100 ACRES BY FILLMORE.Byline: Kermit Pattison Daily News Staff Writer Fueled by scorching scorch v. scorched, scorch·ing, scorch·es v.tr. 1. To burn superficially so as to discolor or damage the texture of. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. 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 -- , a fast-moving brush fire charred more than 9,000 acres in Ventura County on Monday, forcing the evacuation of more than 50 homes and threatening hundreds more. About 2,000 firefighters from around the state struggled to contain the blaze as it roared down 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. , licking at the doors of dozens of rural homes. ``It hit us like a freight train,'' said firefighter Greg Yates of 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. , his face and yellow slicker blackened black·en v. black·ened, black·en·ing, black·ens v.tr. 1. To make black. 2. To sully or defame: a scandal that blackened the mayor's name. 3. by soot after a night battling flames in Timber Canyon. ``It was black and raining embers em·ber n. 1. A small, glowing piece of coal or wood, as in a dying fire. 2. embers The smoldering coal or ash of a dying fire. .'' The blaze charred about 9,100 acres by Monday evening as it continued burning westward, and officials predicted it probably would not be contained for several days. It destroyed only two small shed buildings and an unoccupied homestead and caused only one minor injury to a firefighter who sprained an ankle on the steep terrain. About 50 rural homes were evacuated as the flames leaped from canyon to canyon, driven by 50 mph gusts of arid Santa Ana winds, which typically come much later in the year. ``It caught everybody by surprise, that's for sure,'' said firefighter John Abell John Abell (b. Aberdeenshire, 1653 — d. ?Cambridge after 1724) was an Scottish countertenor, composer and lutenist. Born in London, Abell became a member of the Chapel Royal in 1679. of the U.S. Forest Service. ``It's too early for this business.'' Officials said the fire began shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday on land leased for oil exploration north of Fillmore. Sandi Wells, a spokeswoman for the Ventura County Fire Department, said the fire started from sparks from a power line at the north end of Grand Avenue. By nightfall Sunday, fire-fighting air tankers were forced to pull out because of darkness. Meanwhile, Santa Ana winds picked up and the flames began skipping past the lines of firefighters struggling to contain the blaze. ``That brush has not burned in over 100 years,'' said Wells. ``We have a huge fuel load and a lot of brush that's ready to burn.'' Capt. Ron Bendy Ben´dy a. 1. (Her.) Divided into an even number of bends; - said of a shield or its charge. of the U.S. Forest Service led his crew into the canyon north of Fillmore to battle the flames into the early hours of Monday morning. But wind-driven embers kept sparking new fires hundreds of yards away, he said, and no sooner would his crew put out one than another would flare up flare up Verb 1. to burst suddenly into fire 2. Informal to burst into anger Verb 1. flare up . ``At that point, I just told everybody to get out of there,'' Bendy said. ``It was too windy to do anything.'' Resting beside his fire engine Monday morning and watching smoke 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. from the ridges, he pointed in the direction the fire had gone. ``It just went that way. The rest is history.'' The northeast winds drove the flames up and down the ridges from canyon to canyon throughout Sunday night Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, was an NBC late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase for jazz and eclectic musical artists. and Monday. Firefighters raced up the narrow farm roads in Sespe Canyon, Toland Canyon and Timber Canyon to save homes and orchards of citrus and avocado trees. One abandoned homestead near the Toland Road Landfill was burned, fire officials said. ``I've never been hit by anything so fast,'' said Anita Nelson, a rancher who lives west of Fillmore. ``. . . It was down to 25 feet from the house. I was sure we were going to lose the house. I walked away crying. It was my grandmother's home, and it's been in the family a zillion years. But they saved it, thank God.'' About 50 homes north of Fillmore were evacuated late Sunday and early Monday. Officials from the Ventura County Animal Regulation Department and Humane Society A humane society is a group that aims to stop animal suffering due to cruelty or other reasons. Examples Examples of humane societies include: The Humane Society of the United States, Peninsula Humane Society, American Humane which was founded in 1877 as a network of helped shelter animals from area ranches, and from two large dog kennels north of Fillmore. By Monday evening, the fire continued to burn down the valley toward Santa Paula Santa Paula (săn`tə pôl`ə), city (1990 pop. 25,062), Ventura co., S Calif., on the Santa Clara River in a fertile valley that yields citrus fruits, avocados, vegetables, flowers, nursery products, and walnuts; laid out 1875, inc. . Officials issued an advisory warning residents in the rural areas northwest of Santa Paula to be prepared to evacuate. ``It's imminent in that it's going to get there,'' said firefighter John Foy, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department. ``It's just a matter of how fast the wind picks up.'' A few miles downwind of the fire line, John Eckert sat on his porch as sprinklers wetted down his roof and brush. His car loaded with belongings pointed out the driveway in case he needed to make a quick escape. Eckert, the host of Steckel Park, already had evacuated his children and cleared out about 150 birds from a small zoo at the park. Now he watched the hilltops and waited. ``The first week I was here, we had the Steckel Park fire,'' he said. ``Our clothes weren't even unpacked. This time, until I see flames crest the hills, I'm not worried.'' CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, map PHOTO (1 -- color) Firefighters stand helpless as a brush fire whipped by 50 mph Santa Ana winds rips through the hills north of Fillmore. (2 -- color) Diane Tuomey and 2 dogs flee smoke-filled Grand Avenue. Andy Holzman/Special to the Daily News Map: Fillmore, Santa Paula brush fire |
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