Josh Mengers, ETEC's federal project director, thanks fire crews for protecting the community during the Sandy Fire incident in May 2026 and preventing the blaze from crossing onto SSFL. He also shares about DOE's role in the response during the fire.
Energy Technology Engineering Center
June 19, 2026
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Team, Neighbors, and Community Members,
The last few weeks have been a stark reminder of the power of nature and the constant threat of wildfire in our beautiful region. The smoke-filled skies, evacuations and school closures from the Sandy Fire were a source of fear and anxiety for thousands of our neighbors, and my thoughts are with everyone that was displaced or impacted.
In situations like this, readiness is paramount.
On behalf of the entire Department of Energy’s (DOE) team at the Energy Technology Engineering Center (ETEC), I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the heroic efforts of the first responders led by the Ventura County Fire Department. Their rapid response, skill and tireless efforts protected countless homes, successfully contained the fire before it crossed onto the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) and kept all members of our community safe.
I also want to acknowledge DOE’s own national experts with the Radiological Assistance Program (RAP), who were proactively deployed in coordination with our lead state regulator, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control, to provide additional air monitoring. While the fire thankfully did not reach SSFL, RAP’s readiness to assist is a testament to DOE’s commitment to providing the necessary resources to ensure public health and safety.
Our existing network of perimeter air monitors operated throughout the fire, and our team is now rigorously analyzing the data collected. This situation provides a valuable opportunity to reinforce the lessons learned from the much larger 2018 Woolsey Fire that burned across 80% of SSFL. An exhaustive, multi-agency analysis found no releases of site-related contamination that posed a risk to the public. Our safety protocols are built on that real-world data. While any wildfire produces smoke and ash, we are confident our current analysis will reaffirm our primary mission: ensuring the safety of our team and our neighbors while we work to complete our cleanup mission.
We will continue to analyze the data from the Sandy Fire and plan to share more details at our next quarterly CONNECT meeting. In the meantime, thank you again to our incredible firefighters and to our community for their resilience.
Sincerely,
Dr. Josh Mengers