Jumbo Jet Helps Fight Wildfire
Taking advantage of calmer winds Sunday, firefighters enlisted the help of a jumbo jetliner to drop tens of thousands of gallons of retardant on a three-week-old brush fire north of Santa Paula.
The Day fire, which has burned more than 134,000 acres of the Los Padres National Forest since Labor Day, continued to threaten residences but had not damaged any structures by Sunday evening.
Officials again called for the voluntary evacuation of Thomas Aquinas College near Santa Paula and urged hundreds of other people to leave their homes, although many chose to stay.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Sunday declared a state of emergency for Ventura County. The cost of fighting the fire has exceeded $36 million, officials said.
Crews have had difficultly battling the blaze because of rough terrain and Santa Ana winds. Late Sunday, it was 40% contained.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection launched a large aerial assault, involving 27 helicopters, eight air tankers and a modified DC-10 capable of dumping 12,000 gallons of retardant. Officials said the jet helped douse hot spots that were advancing on Ojai.
“It’s been very, very effective and very impressive,” said forestry agency spokesman Matt Streck. “Each drop looks like it covers more than half a mile of terrain.”
More than 3,200 firefighters have been deployed on the ground.
Officials plan to brief residents on the fire today at the Santa Paula Community Center at 6:30 p.m.
Elsewhere on Sunday, firefighters gained control of a brush fire that had burned more than 100 acres in the Angeles National Forest. The fire, which began Saturday south of Placerita Canyon Road and west of Sand Canyon Road, was expected to be fully contained by today.
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