Vegetation Fire in Santa Clara Riverbed
A vegetation fire started on Friday, August 11th, at 7:00pm, under the Chambersburg/23 Bridge, by the bike path. Crews worked quickly to get it under control, and the bridge was closed to through traffic until approximately 10:45pm. At least eight units responded, including Fillmore City Fire and Ventura County Fire. The fire started in proximity to a homeless encampment and spread by embers from three ignited Palm trees. One acre was burned. This is the third fire in that area commonly caused by fires built in the camps for cooking or staying warm, and perhaps drug use, according to Fillmore Fire Chief Keith Gurrola. A fourth fire was ignited by 2 Rivers Park a couple of months ago, under investigation. Restitution for fire personnel cannot be collected in these incidences, with the burden falling on taxpayers. Chief Gurrola stated that he is pursuing a grant in conjunction with the Ventura County Fire Department for “hazard reduction” from an approximately $3 million Ventura County Fire Safe Council/Cal Fire (CA Dept. of Forestry & Fire Protection) grant, part of a state-wide $113 million wildfire prevention grant. See details below.
A vegetation fire started on Friday, August 11th, at 7:00pm, under the Chambersburg/23 Bridge, by the bike path. Crews worked quickly to get it under control, and the bridge was closed to through traffic until approximately 10:45pm. At least eight units responded, including Fillmore City Fire and Ventura County Fire. The fire started in proximity to a homeless encampment and spread by embers from three ignited Palm trees. One acre was burned. This is the third fire in that area commonly caused by fires built in the camps for cooking or staying warm, and perhaps drug use, according to Fillmore Fire Chief Keith Gurrola. A fourth fire was ignited by 2 Rivers Park a couple of months ago, under investigation. Restitution for fire personnel cannot be collected in these incidences, with the burden falling on taxpayers. Chief Gurrola stated that he is pursuing a grant in conjunction with the Ventura County Fire Department for “hazard reduction” from an approximately $3 million Ventura County Fire Safe Council/Cal Fire (CA Dept. of Forestry & Fire Protection) grant, part of a state-wide $113 million wildfire prevention grant. See details below.
By Gazette Staff Writers — Thursday, August 17th, 2023
Fillmore Pursuing Fire Prevention Grant
Three Palm trees ignited during Friday's fire which started under the Chambersburg/23 Bridge. Embers from the trees caused several spot fires to spread.
Three Palm trees ignited during Friday's fire which started under the Chambersburg/23 Bridge. Embers from the trees caused several spot fires to spread.
Illegally Parked Car Interfered With Fire Response A car was illegally parked within 5-feet of this fire hydrant in the 600 block of River Street on Friday when a blaze broke out in the Santa Clara Riverbed. The county engine had to maneuver and switch equipment to compensate for the angle of the hose. This is an ongoing problem in front of the condos behind Vons which might be solved if the city painted the curb red and violators were ticketed. Parking within 15-feet of a fire hydrant is prohibited by the California Vehicle Code regardless of whether the curb is painted red or not.
Illegally Parked Car Interfered With Fire Response A car was illegally parked within 5-feet of this fire hydrant in the 600 block of River Street on Friday when a blaze broke out in the Santa Clara Riverbed. The county engine had to maneuver and switch equipment to compensate for the angle of the hose. This is an ongoing problem in front of the condos behind Vons which might be solved if the city painted the curb red and violators were ticketed. Parking within 15-feet of a fire hydrant is prohibited by the California Vehicle Code regardless of whether the curb is painted red or not.

Fillmore Fire Chief Keith Gurrola is pursuing a grant for “hazard reduction” from a state-wide $113 million wildfire prevention grant. The grant is in “pre-agreement”, according to Stephen Watson, Executive Director, Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council.

“We are anticipating the agreement to be finalized with CAL FIRE in the coming months, and that the allowable time for us to begin work on these project(s) will not be until early 2024. Furthermore, we will need to ensure that the required environmental considerations, permits, and monitoring are done prior to and during any fuels treatment project. With these in mind, it will add at least six months to a year on the timeline before activity can occur on the ground. I would estimate fuels treatment activity to not begin until late 2024 or early 2025 because of all these considerations”.
The monies would be used to clear out the bamboo-like Arundo; it can grow as high as 15-feet and is noted for its rapid spread.

Watson stated the goal of the Ventura County Education and Fuels Mitigation Initiative is to “engage and empower Ventura County’s most vulnerable, high fire risk communities in order to engender lasting security from wildfire. This will be accomplished through the adoption of three cutting-edge interventions in the fields of education, Firewise development, and fuels treatment. The projects supporting each of these interventions include well-established mitigation measures, such as home hardening assessments, educational outreach, and fuels treatment projects, as well as innovative solutions such as developing Firewise communities in Ventura County. This project aims to serve the entirety of Ventura County but focuses on fuel treatment efforts within 392 acres.”

Additional details about some of the Fillmore/ VRFSC projects, courtesy Mr. Watson:
In partnership with the Fillmore Fire Department, Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council (VRFSC) has identified several fuels projects that will substantially lessen the risk of wildland fire to life, structures, and assets in Fillmore. The primary project is addressing the heavy fuels (primarily sumac) in the foothills north of Fillmore. This is an extremely important project for local residents, as the primary wildfire threat in Fillmore is from a wind driven fire coming out of the north-northeast. The fuel reduction methods for this project include hand treating and chipping fuels and/or utilizing a broadcast burn. This project consists of modifying the ground and ladder fuels as well as thinning and trimming trees in the area. This fuels modification project will limit the spread of fire from tree to tree and to other vegetation within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) project area while reducing ember cast potential to the adjacent structures. The homes adjacent to this WUI project were built prior to California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 24, Part 2, known as the 2007 California Building Code (CBC) and will benefit greatly from the additional buffer zone.

The second fuels treatment project in Fillmore involves addressing the two miles of bike path along the Sespe River that is home to heavy fuel loading. This project would remove a 15-foot swath of brush from the river side of the bike path; the targeted fuel type is primarily sage with some mule fat mixed in. This fuel reduction would ensure that the split rail fence dividing the bike path and the brush would not burn during a wildfire and would create a wider fuel break between the brush and nearby homes. This project would involve cutting and chipping targeted fuel.

VRFSC would also be providing educational workshops and activities alongside these fuels projects to help inform residents of the work being done as well as the ways in which they can be involved. Additionally, VRFSC will explore Firewise community development in Fillmore, as well as all other wildfire-prone areas in Ventura County.

Cost: $115,000 budgeted toward the fuels projects themselves in Fillmore. NOTE: This does not include VRFSC staff time, educational components, Firewise development or contractual costs of CEQA/environmental compliance. It is purely the cost of the work itself in Fillmore specifically. It’s not exactly possible for us to determine exact involvement in Fillmore for the countywide initiatives until the work begins. Example: Firewise community development is heavily dependent on community receptiveness and involvement.