Reagan Ranch Director Andrew Coffin and Reagan Ranch Center Facilities Manager Brent Kilpper contribued to this report.
Early Saturday afternoon smoke was spotted near Rancho del Cielo by Reagan Ranch manager George Thompson, who immediately alerted authorities. Multiple ground crews arrived quickly at the scene, which is about a quarter-mile from the Ranch itself, and were followed by an impressive aerial assault on the blaze.
Thankfully, the quick and concerted efforts of the Forest Service air and ground crews allowed them to rapidly contain the blaze. The ground crews remained onsite throughout Saturday night and into Sunday, preventing the fire from spreading any further and mitigating the impact of late-evening sundowner winds.
No structures were impacted by the fire, and the blaze never directly threatened the Ranch property. Young America’s Foundation is enormously grateful to the fire crews who responded to this emergency and worked hard and fast to prevent it from encroaching on the Reagan Ranch.
Foundation staff also responded immediately to the blaze, taking onsite precautionary measures and closely monitoring the progress of the fire. The Foundation has put a number of fire defense and suppression measures and equipment in place at the Ranch in order to be well-prepared for just such an emergency. Existing systems that protect this national treasure include extinguishers, alarms, high pressure water service, hoses, pumps, barrier foam, metal roofs, brush clearing, and annual inspections and staff training. The Foundation team continues to review areas for improvement and expansion of these systems and is in close contact with the Forest Service and other firefighting professionals.
Thank you to those who were concerned for the Ranch and the safety of our staffers.
