As California fire crews battled several massive blazes that burned throughout the state, firefighters responded to a new fire Thursday morning.
The new blaze broke out near Santa Paula in Southern California at 1:39 a.m., according to the Ventura County Star. Crews initially said the fire covered only about 2 to 3 acres but would probably grow. By 6:47 a.m., the fire had extended to about 12 acres, according to the Ventura County Aviation Unit.
The Ventura County Fire Department told the Ventura County Star that the response included several units, ground crews, bulldozers and a helicopter. A strike team was also requested to respond to the fire, which firefighters estimated would eventually cover 200 to 300 acres. The Ventura County Aviation Unit deployed air crews to make water drops in the canyon because of the limited ground access crews had.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) has three different types of strike teams—an engine strike team, a crew strike team and a dozer strike team. Engine strike teams are made up of five fire engines of the same type and a lead vehicle. A crew strike team consists of a strike team leader, which is usually a captain or battalion chief. Dozer strike teams include two dozers, a dozer tender and a leader.
A week before the Briggs fire broke out in Ventura County, the Woolsey fire ignited. As of Wednesday evening, the fire had burned 98,362 acres, according to Cal Fire. An estimated 504 structures had been destroyed and another 96 suffered damage. Two people were killed in the fire and three firefighters were injured.
Fire crews managed to contain 52 percent of the blaze, and after battling unideal weather conditions, Cal Fire said weak winds would bring a new opportunity to prevent further growth.
"Firefighting resources will pursue opportunities to build and improve direct line to minimize further perimeter growth and support containment objectives," a news release said. "Fire suppression repair teams are actively engaged working around the fire perimeter and affected areas."
A week after the fire started, mandatory evacuations were still in force for Ventura County from South Coast to East Las Posas Road and South of Potrero Road to Highway 1 and County Line. In Los Angeles County, the entire communities of Topanga, Monte Nido and Malibu Lake were still under mandatory evacuation orders.
As of Wednesday evening, 3,685 people were working to contain the Woolsey fire, with 577 engines, 46 water tenders, 22 helicopters, 62 hand crews and 16 dozers.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jenni Fink is a senior editor at Newsweek, based in New York. She leads the National News team, reporting on ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
