Cal Fire protects oil wells in San Ardo

A nearly 200 acre wildfire near the San Ardo oil fields is fully contained Wednesday, but only after Cal Fire crews spent the day putting out hotspots.

Two large energy companies, including Chevron, get some of their oil supply from that area, but the 190-acre Sargent Fire shows a scarred landscape now above the golden hills.

“With the abundant rainfall that we had over the winter, there’s an abundant grass growth out there,” said Shawn Hogan, the Cal Fire incident commander in charge of mopping up the scene on Wednesday.

The conditions were a major hurdle in fighting the fire. Hogan says the fire started late in the evening on Tuesday. Dirt roads and rugged terrain challenged crews trying to navigate to the burn area.

“Aircraft can’t fly after a certain point, so that was a challenge at first. And obviously the darkness,” said Hogan.

The flames got close to some oil wells and pipes in the San Ardo oil field, which in 2015 produced nearly eight million barrels of oil.

Cal Fire says vegetation surrounding each derrick is cleared to prevent any damage from fires. Oil companies there maintain their own standards and maintenance for these wells.

But firefighters say there is not much more they can do except be vigilant.

“Everybody really needs to be safe on what they’re doing out there and be very vigilant when they’re trying to either do clearances around their property as well as pulling vehicles off into grass and other stuff that could potentially start a fire,” said Hogan.

Firefighters relied on at least five engines, a water tinder and two hand crews to contain the fire. Thankfully, there was no damage to any structures and no one was hurt.

Cal Fire knows this is only the beginning and they are always standing by for the next one.

“You know have multiple levels of growth of the grass that’s out there. It’s very thick and it’s tall,” said Hogan. “So obviously that’s more fuel, which’ll be hotter and be harder for us to control it.”

The cause of the San Ardo Sargent Fire is still under investigation. Cal Fire officials say the governor’s new budget includes funding for 13 new engines for Cal Fire across the state in preparation for the upcoming fire season.