Burning Ojai: Our Fire Story (2020)

Burning Ojai: Our Fire Story: Directed by Michael Milano. Follows one family and the residents of Ventura County, CA through a journey of devastation, repair and survival after one of the largest wildfires in state history destroys their beloved community.

“Some good footage is presented in this documentary, and if what they were going for is short and opinionated, then they succeeded. I feel more information would have been beneficial.nDiscuss the states policies on forest care and fire prevention, as well as logging and removal of debris. These, along with drought and man made hazards are all to blame in some part for these increasingly devastating wildfires.nSouthern California Edison has seemingly left areas like this on the waiting list for updated equipment for decades, leading to the rolling power outages the state has seen in years since this fire and others.nOne issue i found most appalling about this documentary is the lack of explanation as to why the fire department left houses unprotected. This is a simple explanation that could have been discussed in five minutes or less. On fires of this size and how active the fire was, there are some areas that are unsafe for anyone to inhabit, including remaining there to provide structure protection for homes where people are evacuated. If you donu0026#39;t prepare your home for the possibility of a wild fire, then itu0026#39;s too late when a fire starts in your neighborhood. My final problem, and the most egregious in my opinion, is not mentioning the men and women who fought this fire and rescued residents. The least that can be done is a thank you at the end of the film. Not to mention, the firefighter who died fighting this fire. A simple mention of the man who sacrificed his life to protect this community could have had an immense effect on this film.”