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A small brush fire drew a large response of firefighters that kept it away from tinder dry brush in the Santa Clara River bottom Sunday. Above Santa Paula Firefighters load water onto the County helicopter durting water drop operations out of Santa Paula Airport. |
A small brush fire drew a large response of firefighters that kept it away from tinder dry brush in the Santa Clara River bottom Sunday.
The fire was reported about 2:25 p.m. July 5 near the intersection of East Telegraph and Toland roads, just east of Santa Paula. The blaze was just north of the Santa Clara River bottom and in the vicinity of the famed Santa Clara School, known as the Little Red Schoolhouse that sits on Highway 126.
Incoming fire equipment was staged at the school campus before entering the fire scene.
The fire started in a group of flammable eucalyptus trees and then embers spotted and spread to light vegetation about 300 yards away.
Santa Paula and Ventura County Fire personnel responded to the scene, as did Cal Fire and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit.
At the height of the fire there were about 18 units from various agencies at the fire scene, including a dozer that helped contain the fire by about 3:40 p.m.
Although there was a breeze firefighters were able to keep the flames from the river bottom’s overgrowth of arundo donax, the highly flammable bamboo that last week provided the fuel to a river bottom fire that burned more than 160 acres from Acacia Road to Dove Court.
Firefighters were able to contain Sunday’s blaze to just less than three acres by early evening.
No injuries were reported and officials said the cause of the fire is being investigated.
