Posted on 11/18/2005 6:13:50 AM PST by janetjanet998
weather channel was just showing live shots of a large wildfire breaking out overnight and burning buildings..they said it was burning into an oil field..
I have no idea what if any oil fields are in the area but that is what they said
said the fire was 60 Miles NW of LA
Sanat anna winds out
On fox NOW
update..live pictures on Fox did indeed show the fire only about 50 feet from oil wells...
Images, Video Coming Up
The blaze was reported around 3:30 a.m. in the School Canyon area between Ventura and Ojai, about 60 miles northwest of Los Angeles, according to a Ventura County Fire Department dispatcher who said he was not authorized to give his name. The exact location where the fire was first reported was School Canyon Road and Ventura Avenue, just north of the city of Ventura.
The fire was burning in a hilly, rocky area near Highway 33 that contains numerous oil pumps, said Joe Luna, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department. About 200 firefighters were battling the blaze, which was whipped by winds gusting to 33 mph, he said.
Fire crews were positioned to protect surrounding neighborhoods but homes were not immediately threatened and no evacuations had been ordered by 6 a.m., he said. Flames were burning away from residential areas, he said.
At least one building had burned, apparently on an oil field, according to television footage.
Water-dropping helicopters were preparing to join the fight at daybreak if wind conditions permitted, Luna said. Investigators were on scene but hadn't yet determined a cause, he said.
The area is under a red flag warning, which advises of warm, windy and dry conditions that could lead to explosive fire growth.
http://www.nbc4.tv/weather/5354127/detail.html
Sanat anna winds out?
massive evacs ordered
I am stuned at this news.
VC news, dude.
Yup, warm and windy in Camarillo at the moment.
Those Santa Ana's are an angry b*tch.
The oil field in question is part of the Rincon Trend. A long established field. Many wells in it are capped - California crude is thick and sticky - demand is low.
This is a major Santa Ana event. We've even had them up here in the Bay Area for most of the week. There was a slight lull this morning but the NWS predicted they'll crank up again today. Then a cut off low is supposed to turn it back to an onshore flow this weekend - we'll see ....
Thanks - I'll do the ping list.
Ventura County and Santa Barbara County Ping!
(Let me know if you want on/off this list.)
To be honest, I'm surprised there wasn't a fire earlier in the week. The winds were a lot worst on Tuesday. Our local arsonists are getting sloppy.
Saw the start from thousand oaks about 7:00 I cant see the smoke from my house right now.
I'm about six blocks from Ventura Ave and School Canyon where it started. Went to work when the fire calmed down and blue skies appeared this AM - then returned when one area heated up again. The hills above downtown Ventura are burning with lots of spectacular smoke. Noisy helicopters going over now very often, ash in the air looks like snow, and in the last couple of hours the smell of smoke has filled this house.
It doesn't burn well, either.
Saw the big plume of smoke this morning on Olsen driving from Simi to T.O. Hope it's contained before it can find its way to Simi. (Isn't that close to where the 10/03 fire started?)
True but there is a big gas plant there. And it still has many active pumping units. With the current price of oil it is worth it. The lease is owned by Aera Energy.
The fire started off the lease at 3:30 am. My husband works there but was not on duty when the fire started.
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