VENTURA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT Clean up efforts continue at the site of an oil spill in Ventura, where 30,000 gallons of oil were spilled.

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By Alysson Aredas, alysson.aredas@vcstar.com

Investigators Monday were still looking for the cause of an oil spill that filled a dry gorge in Ventura on Thursday, as well as working to determine whether or not that crude oil contributed to the deaths of wildlife found in the area, officials said.

The spill from a pipeline operated by Crimson Pipeline originated near Grove Lane and Grove Street in the northwestern part of the city, with nearly 30,000 gallons of unrefined oil traveling about half a mile down the Prince Barranca and Hall Canyon, where it was stopped before it could advance closer to the Pacific Ocean.

Officials said Monday afternoon that nearly 100 workers have used vacuum trucks to recover a significant amount of oil from the gorge. There still was no indication of how long the cleanup would take.

Two wood rats, a gopher snake, a raccoon and a rabbit were found dead in the area of the spill and transported to the Oiled Wildlife Care Network for confirmation and identification, officials said. Investigators were working Monday to determine whether or not their deaths were linked to the spill.

Trained wildlife personnel are working to prevent wildlife from entering the affected area, as well as continuing to search for more oiled wildlife. Residents can report oiled wildlife by calling 877-823-6926. Officials said residents should not attempt to rescue any oiled wildlife.

Crimson Pipeline has taken responsibility of the incident and the cause of the spill is still under investigation, officials said Monday. Hall Canyon Road at Fairview Drive remains open only to residents and emergency responders.

City of Ventura spokeswoman Lysa Urban said the city joined a unified command with Crimson Pipeline, California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Office of Spill Prevention and Response and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by reaching out to the affected community Sunday.

"We canvassed the neighborhoods that are the most impacted right around the spill area," said Urban. "We went door to door and provided important information and addressed any concerns they had."

While officials with the unified command assured everyone that air quality is continually being monitored to assure the safety of residents and responders in the area, Ventura resident Jon Wallace said he and his neighbors still had their concerns.

"In the afternoon when the sun comes up and it heats up the oil, you can really smell it," said Wallace, who said he lives on the edge of Hall Canyon. "And if you're smelling it, you're breathing noxious chemicals."

Wallace said that as temperatures heat up, the quality of the air surrounding the spill is a cause of concern to him and his neighbors, some of whom have small children.

"I had three years of college chemistry and the thing that I do know is crude oil is basically a toxic stew of chemicals — most of which are bad for human health especially if you breathe them or ingest them," said Wallace. "I'm looking at a place where my neighbor has three little girls and I see them playing outside in the bad air near the spill."

Wallace said that he has placed calls to Ventura Mayor Erik Nasarenko's Office, Ventura County Supervisor Steve Bennett's Office, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, as well as local fire departments and police departments in hopes of finding out who is monitoring air quality to make sure it is safe for him and his neighbors.

Despite his efforts, however, Wallace still doesn't have any answers.

"I'm trying to find out if someone is really paying attention to the effects this has on the health of the people living near the spill," said Wallace. "I have to say at this point I have no confidence that anyone is doing anything because nobody can give me coherent information. I don't understand that."

People wishing to file a claim can do so via email at claims@crimsonpl.com or by calling 562-285-4128.