Cal Fire to probe Ventura County response to tractor blaze that reignited into Mountain fire

"A week later, powerful Santa Ana winds arrived, picked up some bits of rubber from one of the tractor's scorched tires and carried them over the containment area into dry vegetation, bringing the fire back to life, according to investigators. The subsequent blaze, the Mountain fire, burned nearly 20,000 acres and destroyed roughly 250 homes and structures in Camarillo Hills and nearby communities in western Ventura County."

"Ventura County fire officials said they followed protocol when they left the Balcom fire - clearing containment lines, dropping retardant, and using a drone with an infrared camera to identify lingering heat. Gardner previously said that more than 100 firefighters used hoses to put a "wet line" around the Balcom fire perimeter, while bulldozers cut away vegetation in its path and aircraft caked the ground with retardant."

Cal Fire will conduct an independent review of Ventura County Fire Department operations during a small October 30, 2024 brush fire in Balcom Canyon that was initially contained. The Balcom fire began when a tractor clearing brush ignited. Fire crews used a C-130 air tanker, retardant, containment lines, bulldozers, hoses, and an infrared drone before declaring the 1.8-acre blaze out after about three hours. A week later, Santa Ana winds lofted bits of rubber from a scorched tractor tire into dry vegetation, rekindling flames that grew into the Mountain fire and caused extensive destruction.

Read at Los Angeles Times