To the Vanguard News Home page 9-8-05 - by Ron Bird Yesterday, at about 1:30, a small brush fire broke out in Shannon Valley (the northwest portion of Acton). It was one of those many fires that most resident hear nothing about, because the neighbors and a small streambed quickly contained it. Observant residents called 911 and then rushed to the scene with shovels in hand. The fire was moving eastward under a very light westerly wind. A two to three foot wide streambed stopped the easterly movement and the locals with their shovels stopping the fire in the other three directions.
With the fire still burning, but contained, a LA County Fire helicopter arrived, circled once and realized there was no need to do a water drop. The chopper then landed in an adjoining field and about a half dozen fully dressed ground crew members disembarked. As they were walking over, both engine companies 80 (Acton) and 81 (Agua Dulce) arrived at the scene. It was their second call of the day. Additional shovel work and water from their pumper truck put out any remaining embers.
This is the third fire in the last several years that I've seen Shannon Valley residents safely contain, but the first without the use of garden hoses (no houses were close enough). Congratulations go out to our proactive local residents and our dedicated County Fire Fighters. This is the first fire that I've seen where a helicopter was dispatched before truck crews arrived. Although not needed in this case, one water drop on a small fire can buy the time needed for ground crews to arrive to quickly fully contain a fire. It can make the difference between keeping the fire small or having it spread out of control.
Some lessons can be learned.
1. Be observant. Call 911 immediately.
2. Rush to the scene with shovels, buckets, fire extinguishers or whatever you have that can be used to fight a small fire.
3. Your life is more important than containing a small fire. Do not risk that precious life by going downwind from the fire, but fight the fire from the side to gradually narrow its spread. A small fire can become uncontrollable in minutes; downwind, the smoke and heat can quickly overwhelm a person.
4. Maintain adequate brush clearance and remove dead vegetation even beyond the clearance zone. This does not mean you need to scrape your property with a bulldozer. Living native vegetation controls both water erosion and blowing dust, plus what is more unsightly than a field of pure dirt.
5. Always keep a garden hose connected (preferable at least 100 feet long) and have some empty buckets around. Those buckets can quickly be filled with water and be carried to small fire out of garden hose reach.
6. Make sure the value on your fire hydrant can be opened by hand to fill those buckets. Test the value a couple of times a year.
Finally, prevent fires from starting. Over the past several years, fires have started in Shannon Valley due to causes such as sparks from bush hogs, careless welding practices, and even manure piles. Yes, even a small manure pile can spontaneously combust in the sun. A glass jug or jar left out in the sun with the right sun angle can act as a magnifying glass and ignite the surrounding brush.
Fortunately, no large fires have broken out in our area this summer. Fire season is not over yet, so let's keep up the good work. Congratulations go out to all that responded and kept this fire small and not noteworthy.