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Federal assistance center opens as fires die down
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More from Other NewsThe Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Sunday that it was opening a local assistance center at 9 a.m. today for individuals who have reported losses to FEMA. The center will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday at 730 Paseo Camarillo in Camarillo; information is available by calling 1-800-621-FEMA.
Over the weekend, the Simi Valley fire, which destroyed 37 homes in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, was 100 percent contained, while the Piru fire was 80 percent contained.
Doug Campbell, a fire behavior analyst involved in combating the Piru fire, said Sunday that the task now is to extinguish the Piru fire in forest land.
"I feel good about what we did," Campbell said Sunday. "The people I dealt with were excellent and stayed mentally ahead of this fire. If they stay that way, they'll be fine."
Officials of the Los Padres National Forest said the public may see periodic smoke as small areas of unburned vegetation burn themselves out. Three helicopters will be used to ferry fire crews to remote areas and drop water. Starting today, a team of specialists will be assessing the need for emergency treatments on forest lands to minimize the threat to life, property and the environment.
On Saturday, almost 1,000 firefighters were pulled off the Piru fire and sent home or reassigned to fight other wildfires in Southern California. Officials said a team of about 120 firefighters would stay to monitor and extinguish any residual smoking in the fire's interior.
In the Simi fire, all fire engines from agencies outside Ventura County and most hand crews, bulldozers and aircraft have been released as well.
The Channel Islands Air National Guard at Port Hueneme was released over the weekend from firefighting duties in Southern California. The National Guard's eight C-130 aircraft flew 48 missions and dropped 129,000 gallons of fire retardant in the Simi fire.
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