Heat Fells 5 Firefighters as Brush Fire Sweeps 400 Acres

A fire fueled by dry grass burned more than 400 acres of brushland Monday, injuring five firefighters and touching off a separate blaze around an underground oil pipeline.

The fire started near the border of Ventura and Los Angeles counties about 2 p.m. when crews clearing grass along California 126 hit a rock with a weed cutter and created a spark, officials said.

The fire, which led to the highway being closed for a time, spread quickly through dry brush and grass, and within hours had burned hundreds of acres.

“There is a lot light grass, and the temperatures have been real hot,” said Ventura County Fire Department spokesman Fred Ponce. “The conditions were just right to fuel the fire.”

Five firefighters suffered heat exhaustion. One was flown to Henry Mayo Clinic in Valencia.

No homes were burned, but at least one oil facility was damaged.

Hazardous materials crews worked to control the fire around the pipeline and an underground storage vault where flames scorched a field, officials said.

More than 450 firefighters from Ventura and Los Angeles counties, the California Department of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service battled the blaze.

Six helicopters dropped water, and three air tankers dropped fire retardant.

Officials said the fire was 60% contained late Monday. About 100 crew members were expected to stay on the scene overnight, officials said. They expect the fire to be 100% contained by 4 p.m. today.

The California Highway Patrol closed California 126 in both directions for two hours during the afternoon as heavy smoke blanketed the highway, officials said.

It was the second major brush fire in Ventura County since the start of the fire season in mid-May.

On June 11, a brush fire scorched 800 acres on the site of the Ahmanson Ranch housing project southeast of Simi Valley. That fire also ran along the Ventura/Los Angeles county border.

Ponce said Monday’s fire was another sign that firefighters are facing a difficult fire season.

“I foresee the situation getting worse as the months come on,” Ponce said.

Officials are investigating whether the work crews who started the blaze are employee by Caltrans.