Fire agencies face scrutiny over failure to stop rekindled blazes

Firefighters knew the charred skeleton of a tractor still was smoking when they left the valley floor in Ventura County last year, but didn’t think it posed any danger.

- BY RICHARD WINTON AND HANNAH FRY

JENNIFER OSBORNE For The Times THE MOUNTAIN fire burned nearly 20,000 acres and destroyed roughly 250 structures in Ventura County.

A week after crews declared the 1.8-acre Balcom fire out, powerful Santa Ana winds arrived, picked up some bits of hot rubber from one of the tractor’s scorched tires and carried them over into dry vegetation, bringing the fire back to life, according to investigators.

Though Ventura County Fire Department officials said they went by the book when they left the Balcom fire — clearing containment lines, dropping retardant and even using a drone with an infrared camera to identify lingering heat — it wasn't enough. The Mountain fire burned nearly 20,000 acres and destroyed roughly 250 homes and structures in Camarillo Hills and nearby communities in western Ventura County.

As climate change makes the drying landscape more vulnerable, the Mountain and Palisades fires, both originating from smaller blazes firefighters thought they had put out, are raising questions about whether agencies need to rethink how they ensure fires truly are extinguished.

Many agencies have utilized technology such as infrared drones to scan for lingering heat, but the solution might be as simple as spending extra time patrolling after the fire to ensure nothing is smoldering, experts say.

"Understanding the consequences that will come from a fire, should it rekindle, and spending extra time and attention and not just taking it for granted that the fire is out is key," said Chris Dicus, a professor emeritus of wildland fire and fuels management at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said the department is creating a post-fire policy and mop-up procedures in the wake of the Mountain fire. The agency also is bringing in a third party to examine its actions on the fire and suggest areas for improvement.

"We will learn from this," Gardner said.