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Bursts of rain calm Day Fire, full containment expected to be declared

October 04, 2006
Santa Paula News

Helped by bursts of rain over the weekend the Day Fire was expected to be declared fully contained Monday evening, a blaze that has destroyed almost 170,000 acres of forestland and cost more than $70 million to fight.

By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesHelped by bursts of rain over the weekend the Day Fire was expected to be declared fully contained Monday evening, a blaze that has destroyed almost 170,000 acres of forestland and cost more than $70 million to fight.The smattering of showers was welcomed by firefighters: At the height of the Day Fire, named for the Labor Day on which it started, more than 4,500 firefighters and support personnel were fighting the blaze.During its almost four-week run the Day Fire threatened rural areas of Santa Paula, Upper Ojai and Lockwood Valley, the latter where a mobile home was destroyed and more than a dozen outbuildings lost.Strong Santa Ana winds blew the flames deeper into the Los Padres Forest toward Lockwood Valley and threatened Frazier Park before the winds died and the hot weather started to cool.
The strong air strikes against the fire included the use of a retrofitted DC-10 which more than a week ago fought back flames on Santa Paula Peak.On Sunday at about 11 a.m. a firefighting helicopter crashed upon return to the Rose Valley station where water and fire retardant has been available for aircraft.The two helicopter pilots were transported to a hospital and later released.“It’s been a long, rough one,” said Santa Paula Fire Cpt. Steve Lazenby, the city’s Emergency Preparedness Coordinator who has been offering regular updates on the Day Fire on the city’s radio station, Ready Santa Paula AM 1610.Now that the fire is almost completely out – some fire areas received as much as 1 inch of rain Sunday – Highway 33 is being opened to visitors as well as residents who had to show identification to access the area.