Horse Owners Race to Escape Southern California Fires

By: Brittany Bevis

The famed Santa Ana winds that have graced many a literary work are the source of much anxiety this week as they fan the flames of four major wildfires that continue to devastate Southern California. Local news reports have extended red flag warnings for most of the area through Saturday, and high wind warnings remain in effect for Los Angeles and Ventura counties. (GMA, 2017).

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection estimate more than 5,000 firefighters have been dispatched to the four fires:

The Rye Fire- Los Angeles County along Rye Canyon Loop and West Valencia

(7,000 acres, 15% contained)

The Creek Fire- Los Angeles County along Kagel Canyon Rd, north of Lakeview Terrace

(12,605 acres, 10% contained)

The Thomas Fire– Ventura County, Hwy 150 and 126, north of Santa Paula

(96,000, 5% contained)

The Skirball Fire– Los Angeles County, N. Sepulveda Blvd. at I-405

(475 acres)

The Thomas Fire is the largest of the four and, due to its immense size, is garnering the most attention. It began Monday evening as a 50 acre brush fire in the foothills of Santa Paula and grew to 10,000 acres in just four hours, according to variousreports.

Ojai resident, Judy Ovitz, had the opportunity to witness the magnitude of the Thomas Fire firsthand when it threatened her Aspen Grove Ranch that’s located northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara.

“We had to evacuate in the middle of the night,” she says. “They saved all my horses and everybody is ok, but it looks like a war zone. We’ve lost so many 100-year-old trees. The whole thing is very scary, but I count my blessings.”

Sadly, some horse owners weren’t as lucky as Judy. The Los Angeles Times reported on Wednesday that 30 horses burned in a fire that consumed Rancho Padilla in Sylmar, which was overtaken by the Creek fire. Click here to see video and read more. 

Judy was forced to evacuate her 17 horses and four donkeys the night the fires began. “Thank God a lot of people came to help. Michael Hoyt was an hour and a half away, but he came with a horse trailer to help. My ranch manager brought a couple of cattle cars, and we were able to load them all. It’s not easy to load a scared horse, but we got it done. We got them all out.”

Once her animals were safe, Judy then headed to the Ojai Valley Inn to take refuge with her four dogs in tow. “We had no power, because a transformer blew. They suspect that’s what caused the fire. We went to the Inn, which had a generator, but the rooms were very dark. Shortly after, we had to evacuate the Inn too.”

Currently, Judy is staying in Brentwood with her youngest son and his family, while her horses are being housed at the Ventura Fairgrounds. “My Ranch Manager, Sonya, is going there twice a day to feed the horses. She’s staying in Santa Barbara with her husband’s family, but now they’re worried there too.”

“A good portion of the ranch is burned, but the firefighters were able to stop it before it reached any of the structures. Also, we did a good job of clearing away brush. However, the people who live next to us… their home burned down. Down below us, the Thatcher area is still threatened. We can’t get back to the ranch, and there is nothing to go back to, because there is no power.”

Judy is saddened by all the news reports on TV depicting the damage caused by the fires. “I saw a reporter going through Ojai, and it’s like a ghost town. Everything is shut down. It’s very sad, because it’s a really pretty community. It’s a hold and pray kind of situation, and we’re hoping that the wind will die down. We’re all worried.”

Once Judy is able to return home, she knows there will be plenty of clean up to do, but she’s luckier than most. “I will probably have to re-seed the hillside, so it doesn’t erode in the rain, and I will try to replace some of the trees I lost. But, I can’t worry about that now. We’re just taking it day by day, one step at a time.”

For those looking for more information about the Southern California fires, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is an excellent resource for the latest statistics: www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents

When it’s time to return home after a fire, the CDFFP has several recommendations.

• check for hot embers in the attic, gutters, under decks, and in lawn spaces
• check to see if phone, security, and electricity is working
• be wary of smoldering holes that can be full of hot coals
• white ash is an indication of extreme heat
• notice any trees or telephone poles with extreme blackening, which can weaken structures
• be careful for trees, brush, and rock piles that may have shifted during the fire
• check for damage to the gas line, gas meter, and propane tanks

The California Department of Food and Agriculture has a Wildfire Recovery Resource that may also be helpful.