An orange flag that was blowing in the wind on a hillside Sunday morning in Ventura was mistakenly reported as a brush fire and launched a full response, officials said.
The report of a blaze in Grant Park came in about 10:30 a.m. Three engines, two hand crews, one battalion chief, one water tender, one bulldozer and one helicopter were called to the scene, said Kris McDonald, a battalion chief with the Ventura Fire Department.
The response was heavy because recent high temperatures have made brush fires more likely to occur, McDonald said.
Crews tried to find the fire for about 20 to 30 minutes but found nothing besides the flag, McDonald said.
"Any time there's fire in that area, it's a high risk," McDonald said. "We're certainly relieved when it ends up not being anything."
McDonald said people use the park for hang gliding and that they place red or orange flags on the hillside to determine wind direction and intensity.
The color of the flags on the hillside has caused similar false alarms in the past because they look like flames from far away, McDonald said.
"It's not unusual for us to respond to calls that end up being nothing," McDonald said. "That's the bottom line: We never know."
Cal Fire and Ventura County firefighters also responded, but most units were canceled before they arrived, officials said.
Copyright 2012 - Ventura County Star, Calif.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
