Injured Owl Rescued By Firefighters During Maria Fire Released Back Into Wild
CAMARILLO (CBSLA) – An injured great horned owl who was rescued by Ventura County firefighters while battling the Maria Fire last November was released back into the wild Wednesday after being nursed back to health.
"Ram" the owl was released Wednesday night in a ceremony at East La Loma Avenue and Price Road in Camarillo, the Ventura County Fire Department reports.
On Nov. 2, firefighters battling the Maria Fire south of Santa Paula discovered Ram walking around and appearing confused, suffering from smoke inhalation. The firefighters took him to Camarillo Wildlife Rehabilitation, where he was diagnosed with a broken furcula, the equivalent of a broken collar bone, the fire department reports.
After several months of treatment, Ram made a full recovery.
The Maria Fire erupted amid powerful Santa Ana Winds on South Mountain on the night of Oct. 31. It consumed 9,999 acres, destroyed four structures and forced more than 8,000 people to flee. It was fully contained on Nov. 6.
The cause is still under investigation. However, Southern California Edison notified state regulators that at about 13 minutes prior to the fire breaking out, "SCE re-energized a 16KV circuit near the area" of the blaze.
The Maria Fire was the second major fire to break out in Ventura County in less than a week. The Easy Fire erupted in Simi Valley the day prior. It broke out near the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and then spread into Moorpark, jumping the 23 Freeway and forcing 30,000 people to flee. The fire burned 1,806 acres and destroyed at least two structures.