Wolf Fire rages out of control
by Lenny Roberts

When firefighters get a call of a vehicle fire in Los Padres National Forest, all they can do is hope that it doesn't spread into the brush.
In this case, it did.
The blaze, dubbed the "Wolf Fire" because it began near the Wolf's Grill on Maricopa Highway about 25 miles north of Ojai, was first reported Saturday at 3 p.m. as a burning van. By the time firefighters from County Station 22 arrived, it had already begun spreading through terrain that hadn't burned in 70 years. By Tuesday, it had consumed more than 7,000 acres and was only 10 percent contained.
While speculation continues to mount that the fire was accidentally started by shooters, officials from the United States Forest Service will only say that it remains under investigation.
The fire is burning on both sides of State Highway 33, approximately midway between Highway 101 and Highway 166, according to USFS spokeswoman Juanita Freel. The fire is expected to burn for days with no containment in sight.
Ojai District Ranger John Bridgewater had some encouraging but cautious words when describing the fire's potential.
"We're lucky that we're not in the late fall season when the gravity winds we call Santa Anas are blowing," he said. "We're still struggling with Rose Valley, but the town is not in immediate danger and we don't perceive it to be, but there are major fronts moving in all directions. What sort of localized results we have would depend on what type of weather we have today. We have a lot of work left to do in the backcountry"
Forecasters have predicted temperatures hovering around the 100-degree mark for the next few days, but the winds that could push the fire rapidly toward structures in the areas of Sespe Wilderness, Matilija Wilderness, Dick Smith Wilderness, recreation sites in Pine Mountain area and scattered structures on private land along Highway 33 are expected to be moderate, although those areas are considered to be currently threatened.
On Monday, periods of extreme fire were observed during the day, and continuous spotting occurred, especially on the north flank of the fire, which is burning in medium to dense chaparral mixed with pinion and juniper. The fire is exhibiting significant upslope runs, Freel noted, especially northward toward Pine Mountain Ridge.
"The fire continued to move toward the Howard Creek drainage but at a slower rate," she said. "A number of residences, structures and other improvements are threatened if the fire reaches Howard Creek. The terrain is steep and rugged, limiting the use of bulldozers and slowing the progress of crews. With warmer weather expected on Wednesday, the fire is expected to burn aggressively to the north and southeast."
As of Monday night, 40 hand crews, 41 engines, seven bulldozers, 10 helicopters, 11 air tankers and 1,153 firefighters were deployed, and fire suppression costs were $543,000.
The following areas of the Ojai Ranger District of Los Padres National Forest are now closed to public entry until further notice due to hazards associated with the Wolf Fire and suppression activities:
All national forest lands on either side of Highway 33 from immediately north of the Wheeler Gorge Campground to the national forest boundary at Ozena, Nordhoff Ridge, Rose Valley, the Pine Mountain area, Matilija Wilderness, portions of the Sespe Wilderness west of the Sespe Condor Sanctuary and north to the intersection of the Johnson Ridge Trail and the Ojai District Boundary, the Potrero Seco area, all national forest lands north of the Valley View, Gridley, Pines and White Ledge campgrounds in the Ojai front country. Matilija Canyon Road will be closed to public traffic during daytime hours until further notice because helicopters will be drafting water from the Matilija Reservoir. Wheeler Gorge Campground remains open.
Highway 33 is closed from immediately north of the Wheeler Gorge Campground to Ozena.

FRIDAY UPDATED FIRE REPORT
By Chris Wilson

Ash continues to fall like snowflakes throughout the valley as the, so-called, Wolf Fire continues to char thousands of acres of wilderness north of Ojai.
Officials stationed at Soule Park and Happy Valley School still can't determine when the blaze will be contained. As of Thursday morning, nearly 12,000 acres have burned and the fire is still only 15 percent contained with actual containment still as unpredictable as the fire itself. $3.7 million has been spent thus far on suppression of the blaze.
The biologically sensitive Dick Smith, Sespe and Matilija Wilderness areas are all threatened by the blaze. But the north flank of the fire has pushed up and slightly over Pine Ridge.
Air tankers loaded with pink soapy fire retardant painted the ridge all day Wednesday, Kris Fister, a fire information officer stationed at Soule Park told the OVN Thursday morning.
The front line of the fire continues to push east into the sensitive Sespe Wilderness following at this point the easterly footprint of the Matilija Fire, which burned 220,000 acres in 1932. Fire crews, who expected higher humidity and lower nighttime temperatures to slow the fire during Wednesday's evening hours were surprised to learn that more than 2,000 acres burnt during the night.
"We saw temperatures of 82 degrees and humidity of just 10 percent overnight," Fire Information Officer Darren Drake said. Winds of 6 to 10 mph were steady out of the east. A cooler, lower pressure front is expected to push onshore as the weekend sets in. According to Drake, the additional moisture will be helpful, but more winds could spell disaster. Drake was pleased to report that of the 1,767 crew members fighting the fire, just two incidences of dehydration and one bee-sting, allergic reaction, have been reported thus far.
"We're really emphasizing safety," Drake said.
According to Drake, the U.S. Forest Service has given permission for dozers to widen the trail that runs along Sespe Creek in the biologically protected wilderness area. Hand crews will follow and set back burns to quell the south flank of the fire to keep it from heading for Ojai. Drake said a natural resource specialist, archeologist and Chumash tribal liaison will all accompany the dozer crews and keep them from harming sensitive habitats. No structures are threatened at this time.
"We're essentially turning an old road that's now a trail, back into a road again," Drake said.
Drake also noted that fuel moisture levels are extremely low for this time of year.
"We usually don't see these kind of dry conditions until August," Drake said.
Hundreds of tents, pitched under shade trees in Soule Park, provide temporary refuge from 12 to 15 hour shifts cutting fire lines and setting back fires. Large room-sized tents house feed crews and support staff, who put in 15 to 18 hour shifts.
At the field adjacent to Happy Valley School, nearly a dozen helicopters rested waiting to drop crews where the blaze is cutting up northward up the steep Pine Ridge. The Lewis and Clark Hotshots from Great Falls, Mont., swapped tips on how to deal with bears as they waited for a lift to the east flank of the fire. Julien Magallenez, the squad leader for the crew, said they had landed in town Tuesday and seen one shift on the fire's front lines. A few steps away, Tom Lane , a fire crew chief from Stanislaus National Forest in Northern California radios to a partner on his partner on Pine Mountain to send a small helicopter over and lift him and the other 84 members of his crew. He said they will work to keep the fire from "slopping" more over Pine Ridge and make an effort to get in front of the blaze and funnel it down before it reaches Johnson Ridge on the eastern front.
"We're going to fight this fire on our terms, not on it's terms," Tom Lane,
There are currently 26 large fires burning in 11 states for a total of more than 500,000 acres. So far this year about 1.2 million acres have burned throughout the nation, which is nearly half a million acres above the 10-yearaverage.

© 2002 The Ojai Valley News

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