On December 4 2017, a fast moving and active wildfire broke out north of Santa Paula along Highway 150. With dry conditions and high winds, it burned to the ocean by the next morning and was at the time, the largest fire in California history.  On the evening of the 4th, Gordon immediately rushed to his mother Dorcas Thille’s ranch which was directly in the path of the fire.  He and his brother worked tirelessly throughout the night to save as many avocado trees as possible along with her home.  By morning, the threat had to JK Thille Ranches had passed and Gordon returned to Timber Canyon, all while keeping a keen eye on the movement of the fire. Despite a strong east wind, the fire steadily burned eastwards towards Kimball Ranches, finally reaching the western edge of the property in the early hours of Dec 6.  Our men fought the fire shoulder to shoulder with Gordon throughout the night and into Wednesday.

The fire continued to progress to the east however, we were able to push it away from our orchard and to the north of the ranch.  As the sun began to set that evening the winds picked up just as the fire reached the northeastern corner of the ranch, propelling it directly into the orchard again. Embers were travelling horizontally through the air and the smoke was so thick it became very dangerous very quickly. Gordon made the call to for everyone to leave the ranch after the household propane tank exploded, raining fiery debris in a 200 yard radius.  The final thing he did was run into the ranch office as one of the walls was engulfed in flames to save his computer, knowing without it, he wouldn’t be able to pay the employees before their Christmas vacation.

 “We lost our home, ranch office, barn, workshop and all our farming equipment.”

When the family returned the next morning, everything had been destroyed.  We lost our home, ranch office, barn, workshop and all our farming equipment.  Over 7,900 trees had suffered substantial damage and all above ground irrigation systems were destroyed.  Power was still out but our immediate priority became restoring water to the surviving trees. Working from sun up until sun down every day through the end of the year meant we were able to save the trees we had left.

We now embark on a massive task to rebuild Kimball Ranches.  From surveying every one of our 13,000 trees for damage to purchasing everything from shovels to paint brushes, it has been an uphill journey.  But we have taken the view that this has presented us with an incredible opportunity. We have reevaluated our tree spacing, the rootstocks we are using, how we are irrigating, and how we can improve how we farm.   Removing the old trees, chipping the brush, grinding the stumps, building 8,000 ft of deer fencing, flagging the new tree locations, digging the holes, planting the trees, relaying all new irrigation...sometimes it seems like an insurmountable task.  We finished 2018 with over 2,000 new trees in the ground and by the end of 2019, we had nearly 12,000 new trees replanted. In 2020, we replanted another 5,000 trees and in 2021 we picked the first fruit from the first trees replanted. We continue to work on repairing, replanting and regrouping - the recovery will continue well into the future but we will face it together.

And the house?  The barn? That will all come later, once our new trees are back in production.

“Farming is tough.  But farmers are tougher.”

They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.  We take strength from all those who rally around us as we walk this long road to recovery.  There was never a question of if we would rebuild, what else can you do but get on with it? As Gordon says, “Farming is tough.  But farmers are tougher.”