Date: December 4, 2006
Absolute Location: 34.285 degrees North and 118.881 degrees West
Relative Location: Northwest of Los Angeles, North of Thousand Oaks and West of Simi Valley
Summary: The blaze blackened about 15 square miles after it started early Sunday. Even though the fire was big it did not affect all the houses in Ventura County, which is northwest of Los Angeles, said fire spokesman Fred Ponce. The Santa Ana winds had gusts up to 50 mph. As the winds died down over 800 firefighters were transported together to fight the flames. “We're expecting to hit it hard from the air and the ground,” fire Capt. Barry Parker said. The firefighters tried to keep the fire in the canyon. The dangers would be if the fire spread south it would head toward the small city of Camarillo and if the fire advanced north it could affect the city of Fillmore.
Firefighters have not figured out what had started the fire. Heavy brush fueled the fire and it spread very quickly across the hills and canyons. No one has been reported injured. Early Monday two more fires started 90 miles east in the windy weather but the firefighters kept he flames under control and put them out. "In this kind of wind, you really can't say that it's completely out until it's completely out," said Battalion Chief Ron Walls.
Personal Reaction: I think this article is important because wildfires are dangerous and they left families homeless. What I would have done to stop the fire was to first try to keep it from spreading, then after that I would just keep the fire under control, and the put it out. My prediction for the future is the fires will happen again and the firefighters will keep the damage down to a minimum, so not many people lose their homes or personal belongings.
