VENTURA : Firefighters Save Big Ranch From Wildfire
Three water drops from a helicopter helped firefighters quickly extinguish a brush fire Wednesday that started along U.S. 101 and crept near the 10,000-acre Taylor Ranch in Ventura, officials said.
Firefighters were called to the blaze north of the freeway above Emma Wood State Beach about 2:30 p.m. By 3:15 p.m., a five-acre swath of blackened brush lay smoldering, yards from the property line fence.
“The ranch is what we were concerned about,†Ventura County Fire Capt. Barry Simmons said. “But we got to [the fire] in time.â€
Simmons said the fire started at the freeway and worked its way up a 400-foot hill in a V-pattern.
“Most likely the cause is somebody throwing something from a car,†Simmons said. Traffic was light along the freeway and no backup occurred, the California Highway Patrol said.
In all, Simmons said, 23 firefighters worked the blaze. The Ventura County Fire Department’s helicopter was used to drop water on the blaze. It refilled at the Father Serra Cross overlooking Ventura.
“You couldn’t ask for a closer helicopter pad,†Simmons said.
Ranch foreman Tony Alvis spotted smoke as he drove west on California 33.
“When I saw that, I jammed home,†he said. “But the firefighters had it pretty much handled when I got here.â€
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