Fire Crews Catch Their Breath as Winds Weaker Than Expected

The massive Day fire in northern Ventura County continued to challenge 3,000 firefighters battling the blaze, which officials say is 40% contained, but they at least got a break from the weather Saturday.

Still, officials ordered the evacuation of 300 homes along California 150 near Steckel Park in Sulphur Springs.

Santa Ana winds turned out to be weaker than had been feared, giving crews an extra day to cut fire lines and help residents in the path of the blaze clear brush from their homes, a fire official said.

The biggest headache came midday when wind-driven embers ignited a spot fire that threatened a private college near Santa Paula. But overall, the 121,000-acre blaze didn’t rage out of control as it had a week earlier, said Capt. Barry Parker, spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department.

“We caught a big break weather-wise,” he said. “The fire didn’t spread nearly as fast as we thought it would.”

The wildfire remained a serious threat to residents of Ojai, Santa Paula and Fillmore, who should stay alert for possible evacuations, said Parker, cautioning that the winds could pick up again overnight.

Around noon Saturday, embers blew past the massive fire’s western edge in Ventura County and ignited a 600-acre blaze just north of Thomas Aquinas College. Firefighters used fixed-wing air tankers dropping water and fire retardant on the spot fire, Parker said.

About 350 students remained on campus at the Catholic college, said Anne Forsyth, director of college relations. The fire was about six miles north of the well-irrigated campus, she said.

“The smoke looks thick, but the Fire Department feels the campus is safe for now,” she said. “If the students are in jeopardy, we would evacuate immediately.”

Incident commanders had grounded helicopters earlier Saturday when east winds of up to 45 mph kicked up, Parker said.

Smoke could be seen in Ojai, though there was little of the ash that coated the city last weekend when strong winds doubled the size of the fire.

The nearly 3-week-old blaze, called the Day fire because it started on Labor Day, is being fought by firefighters from multiple agencies. Forecasters say winds might reach 45 mph in mountain areas overnight.

Fire crews are positioned across the Ojai Valley to move in and defend structures if necessary, officials said.

For updates, visit www.inciweb.org, and click on Day fire. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department will post evacuations and the location of Red Cross shelters at www.vcsd.org.

catherine.saillant@latimes.com

john.mitchell@latimes.com