SIMI VALLEY: A herd of 500 goats helped save California’s Ronald Reagan library from a wildfire on Wednesday, after the voracious animals earlier this year ate flammable scrub surrounding the hilltop complex.

The hired goats munched through brush to create a fire break that slowed the blaze and let firefighters douse flames on Wednesday before they reached exhibits like an Air Force One jet and a piece of the Berlin Wall, a library spokeswoman said.

“We were told by one of the fire fighters that they believe that fire break made their job easier,” said Melissa Giller. “The brush only went so far, it didn’t reach the library, because the goats ate it all.”

The complex near Simi Valley is the second big southern California institution in as many days to be protected from a rash of wildfires by fire-prevention work.

Los Angeles’ J. Paul Getty Museum on Tuesday said its scrub clearance efforts slowed a blaze on its perimeter.

Driven by gale-force winds, the so-called Easy Fire surrounded the Reagan library on Wednesday morning, coming less than 50 feet from a hangar housing the Boeing 707 aircraft used by the former Republican president.

The site houses papers and memorabilia from Reagan’s 1981-1989 administrations, and the Cold War leader is buried there alongside his wife Nancy.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2019