The two month long Day Fire, which ravaged more than 160,000 acres and strewed ash across much of Ventura and Los Angeles counties, has officials concerned about the potential for future natural disasters.
Despite the recent containment of the Day Fire, which was 100 percent contained as of Oct. 3 according to the Ventura County Fire Department website, there are still problems to come.
The winter rains, predicted to be moderate due to an El Niño influence, could create a lot more work for the California Forest Department, explained Captain Ron Nelson, public information officer for the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.
“Because there is no vegetation on watershed areas, the water will run right off and not soak into the ground,” Nelson said. The fire burned so hot that it actually glazed the earth in certain areas, he said.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection officials are worried that this winter there could be a chance for flooding because of this fire.
In order to make a perimeter and contain the fire, firefighters had to make a 20-foot wide pathway in the earth all around the fire by scraping away dirt and vegetation, which destroyed many waterways that usually prevent flooding, Nelson said.
The state forestry department plans to re-vegetate the area and rebuild the waterways in hopes of preventing flooding, he added.
Another problem that could arise are the Santa Ana winds. These strong winds blowing from east to west could easily re-ignite the fire and spread it to other areas despite the controlled status of the fire, Nelson said.
At this point, the firefighters are mopping up the remaining areas that are burning by removing heat 300 yards into the perimeter of the fire and dropping water from helicopters because many of the areas of the fire are inaccessible by road.
“When all fire that could potentially jump containment lines is out, the fire will be declared ‘controlled,'” concluded a source for the U.S. Forest Service.
Fire officials said the Day Fire is the biggest forest fire in California in 50 years and has burned more than 162,000 acres, an area larger than the city of Chicago. The cost
of fighting the fire is estimated at $73 million, said Ventura County Fire Department Public Information Officer Kris Fister.
The fire was so large that firefighters from 12 different states were involved in fighting it, and there are still over 1,500 firefighters on the scene, said Randy Alvarez, an information officer with Oregon State fire department.
Ventura College students have been seeing dark skies and ashy car windshields since the Day Fire began, northwest of Lake Castaic near the Ventura County border, on Sept. 4.
Effects of the fire have been felt throughout the VC campus and surrounding communities. The humidity and ash in the air is causing many students bronchitis, allergies, and lung and eye irritations.
“Because I live in Ojai, the ash is flowing in the air and it gets in my eyes,” said VC student and Ojai resident Sarafina Tabrum. “Sometimes when I go outside I have trouble breathing.”
More than 5 percent of Ventura College students live in the Ojai area. Those living closest to the fire faced greater fear and were most likely to be evacuated from their homes.
“One day I saw the flames over the mountains from my house. It was pretty scary,” Tabrum said. “Some of my friends’ parents were even talking about evacuating and it would’ve taken a lot of time and effort. But now it’s getting better.”
