Crews Battle Fire North of Ojai

A brush fire charred 200 acres Monday in a remote canyon just north of Matilija Reservoir in the Los Padres National Forest.

Flames didn’t reach a neighborhood of homes along the winding stretch of road near Matilija Canyon north of Ojai. The fire was headed northwest, away from populated areas, and was expected to be contained by about 6 this morning. About 30% of the fire had been contained late Monday.

The blaze started around 11:40 a.m. eight miles northwest of Ojai. Officials said the area had not burned in 14 years.

“We’re working steady,” said Greg Smith, a foreman for one of seven firefighting crews from Arizona that have been in the region for a few weeks to help extinguish brush fires in Santa Barbara County. “We’ll probably be digging trenches all night.”

Crews had trouble reaching the fire as they followed narrow Matilija Road, which is unpaved in some spots and at times reduces to one lane.

Along with the Arizona crews, 150 firefighters from the National Forest Service, California Department of Forestry, Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc and Ventura County Fire Department battled the blaze. Some 500 firefighters had been requested.

Ground crews were driven by truck to the remote area using a private road, and they hiked the rest of way. As hundreds of firefighters built a line around the fire, planes and helicopters dumped thousands of gallons of water into the canyon. One firefighter suffered minor heat-related injuries and was treated at the scene.

The fire was not visible from the nearby neighborhood, but firefighters said the flames were strong. Smoke hovered over the hills. “It’s still burning pretty hot,” said Fred Montes, a Forest Service investigator with the Los Padres forest. “We have to hike all the way in there.”

Residents of the dry, brushy area were confident their homes would be spared.

“Of the 75 homes here, everyone is prepared for this kind of thing,” said Allen Carrozza. “We have the firefighters to thank. We’re very fortunate to live somewhere where they’ll work so hard for us.”

The cause of the fire is unknown, but some investigators suspect that it began at a campground near Wheeler Springs. The campground was empty when firefighters arrived, said Mike Preasmeyer, operations section chief for the Forest Service.

This fire is the second major blaze in the national forest since June, when two people shooting targets started a fire that blackened nearly 700 acres. The largest brush fire this summer ripped through 2,800 acres near Lake Piru in mid-July.