Neighbors protect others during fire
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

Jon Longan never saw winds as strong as the ones that fueled the Shekell fire almost two weeks ago. The fierce gusts drove the blaze toward homes and crops at uncontrollable speeds.

But the disaster didn’t intimidate the Moorpark resident, who drives an engine for the Los Angeles City Fire Department. Longan immediately began to do what comes naturally, he said.

When his wife woke him up after hearing an explosion about 2 a.m. that Sunday, Longan knew something bad had occurred.

Once he realized that a fire was burning, he immediately went to warn his neighbors.

“My first thought was to vacate the neighbors near the fire,” he said.

Then, in an attempt to protect construction equipment belonging to a contractor rebuilding the bridge on Grimes Canyon Road, Longan climbed onto his tractor to remove debris and shove dirt onto flammable items.

Longan also used the small tractor to protect nearby orchards. “Most of my time was spent at a neighbor’s orchard trying to create a fire line,” he said. Others helped him slow down the fire by getting foliage away from the trees, he said.

Longan’s proactive attitude comforted and impressed those nearby.

“Out of all the smoke, here comes this tractor with this huge guy on it and he starts scooping up the dirt and pushing stuff away,” said Sebastian Ramirez, who was taking photos for the Moorpark Acorn that day.

When he’s not manning an engine for Station 96 in Chatsworth, Longan drives an 18-wheeler for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He participated in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita relief efforts. While California has its share of natural disasters, he said, the hurricane sites were the most devastating he’s ever seen.

The conditions in Moorpark on Dec. 2 were unusual and intense, Longan said.

“I was just trying to help people who weren’t there to help themselves,” he said, adding he wasn’t working alone.

Gary Rodriguez, a masonry contractor who also owns a tractor, came out to help put out small fires and prevent them from getting worse.

“Fires had broken out right under some eucalyptus trees, and nearby ranches sustained damages, so we just tried to prevent further problems,” he said, also crediting neighbors who came out with hoses and shovels for a job well done.