Governor Tours Areas Ravaged by Brush Fires : Ventura County: Flood Disaster Ahead?

Gov. George Deukmejian, after a helicopter tour of Ventura County areas ravaged by brush fires this year, warned Wednesday there was “a potential disaster just waiting to happen” because of possible mud slides and runoff from winter rains.

Deukmejian told reporters that, even though local officials had done everything they could to get ready for the rains, “not much is going to be able to be done to hold back the kind of flooding that I am sure we can anticipate.”

Cautioning against undue alarm, Deukmejian nevertheless urged residents of Ojai and Santa Paula to cooperate with state and local authorities. He called the 164,00 acres of coastal mountains denuded by fire “a ghastly sight, to say the least.”

The governor toured the fire area from the air with Ventura County disaster authorities and then received another briefing at a command post set up in a local park.

The two worst fires were in the Wheeler Gorge area near Ojai, where 118,000 acres of brush and watershed burned last July, and in the Ferndale area near Santa Paula, where 46,611 acres were scorched in October.

Deukmejian declared both as disaster areas.

Rewards Posted

The fires are believed to have been deliberately set. Last month, Deukmejian offered $10,000 rewards for information leading to the arrest of the individual or individuals responsible for the fires. Deukmejian said there could be arrests soon.

Undersheriff Larry Carpenter, who escorted Deukmejian on the tour, said fears of flood and mud slide damage have canyon residents already sandbagging their homes in anticipation of the winter rainy season.

Carpenter said 2,200 homes are directly threatened by floods. He said county disaster officials already have mapped out plans to have military helicopters on hand to evacuate residents if the need arises.

The threat comes because the intense heat of the fires burned off vegetation on the hills above Santa Paula and Ojai, leaving nothing to hold back the soil and water when it rains. Rocks and mud are expected to wash down from the bald hills along with the rainwater.

County officials did not ask Deukmejian for immediate help but instead requested that state agencies be ready for assistance.

“We’ve been dealing with the governor’s office on a weekly, if not daily basis,” Carpenter said. The Sheriff’s Department coordinates disaster services.

Carpenter said: “We aren’t asking for a handout, just a helping hand.”

After the briefing, Deukmejian said he was prepared to offer immediate financial and support assistance whenever county officials ask for it.