Smoke billowed across the azure afternoon sky, buffeted by the scorching September winds. Students crowded out of classrooms, eyes upturned, intent on flames licking the hillside just west of Moorpark College.
It was November 2003 all over again, ash falling like snow onto the parking lot, students frantically calling parents and friends, everyone full of questions. America’s Teaching Zoo even called student workers in to prepare for animal evacuations.
It began at 12:07 on September 28, behind homes on Pecan Avenue and continued moving toward Chapman Place and Marquette Street, according to Ventura County Fire Department Spokesman Joe Luna. two hundred firefighters were called in, as well as 16 fire trucks, two water tenders, two helicopters, and two bulldozers.
Students and staff from the EATM program gathered for a group meeting to come up with a game plan for evacuations. As the fire crept closer, the staff worried about their birds, because the thick smoke can damage the birds’ fragile lungs.
“We also worry about the animals that would be the most difficult to evacuate, like some of our large carnivores,” said Mara Rodriguez, Zoo Operations Instructional Lab Technician.
In 2003, the zoo lost two animals to the fire, one bird and an Arctic Fox. However, the 2003 incident was much larger. The September 28 fire was quickly put out, and none of the animals in the zoo had to be evacuated. By 2 p.m., two hours after the fire began, only 30 acres had been burnt. Although white smoke still hung over the college, the hills were free of flames. The fire never moved closer than eight to 10 miles from the college.
Only two fences were damaged as the fire burnt into an avocado orchard near Pecan Avenue. Some residents were temporarily evacuated, and Moorpark College closed for the rest of the day. The college reopened on Sept. 29.
In addition to the Moorpark Fire, blazes swept across Chatsworth, Somis, Thousand Oaks, and Simi Valley. The Chatsworth fire, dubbed the “Topanga Incident” by firefighters, spread to over 24,000 acres between September 30 and October 3. Such a huge disaster prompted Congressman Elton Gallegly (R-Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties) to write a letter asking Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare a State of Emergency. About 1,000 people were evacuated in the fire, and three homes were destroyed. On October 3, the Topanga fire was finally contained with the help of over 2,000 firefighters from across California.
Fires smolder on hillsides near Moorpark College. (Iris Smoot)
