Blazes bypass Simi, for now
By Kyle Jorrey kjorrey@theacorn.com

The fires that scorched thousands of acres of brush in the Santa Clarita Valley left Simi Valley untouched this week thanks to the efforts of hundreds of firefighters, many of them from county fire stations.

According to Capt. Barry Parker of the Ventura County Fire Department, the Magic Fire, which started in Valencia near Six Flags Magic Mountain, threatened Simi Valley late Monday night when high winds began to push the fire in a westerly direction towards Ventura County.

"If it would have continued on that path, there was a real potential- based on wind conditions- that it could have reached Simi Valley," Parker said. "Based on that conclusion, we went ahead and did some precautionary evacuations of the upper north end of Simi Valley."

Included in the evacuations were residents living along Tapo Canyon, Bennett and Ditch roads.

But a change in wind, and the use of backfires at Highway 126, soon gave firefighters an edge, and the fire was 100 percent contained by Wednesday morning, having burned 1,750 acres but no structures.

"We have to give a lot of credit to the hard work of the firefighters," Parker said. "We did get a break in the weather, but the efforts of the firefighters were vastly effective as they were able to stand their ground and turn the fire back."

Parker reminded residents to remember that Simi Valley, as well as the rest of Southern California, is not out of danger yet.

"We're still in an extremely high fire danger, and until we can get a substantial amount of rainfall, we will stay in high-fire danger," Parker said. "This is the time people need to be sure they have a wildfire action plan ready."

The fires also affected Simi Valley schools, which were closed to students on Tuesday. Staff and administration still worked on that day, although they tried to remain indoors as much as possible. Working in conjunction with Moorpark schools, Simi Valley Unified School District was worried about the Santa Clarita Valley fires and the unpredictable winds that fueled them.

"We looked at all of the possibilities, like if the fire did come over the hill, how would we evacuate kids," said Lowell Schultze, the associate superintendent of business and facilities. "We closed the schools . . . basically for the safety of the kids with the fire and the wind blowing through the area."

Schultze said that it would have been difficult to keep students indoors most of the day, away from the smoky conditions caused by the fires.

Simi Valley and Moorpark districts decided to send students back to school on Wednesday when wind conditions eased. The school districts will continue monitoring air quality conditions from the Ventura County Air Pollution Control District.

"When the wind subsided just a little bit," Schultze said, "we thought it was safe for students to come back into the classroom."

Athletic practices and games were canceled most of the week, although local Friday night football games should not be affected. The Royal High School football team is expected to play Agoura at home tonight at 7, while Simi Valley will battle Newbury Park on the road.

- Acorn writer Eliav Appelbaum contributed to this story