Easy Fire cost Reagan Library nearly $500,000 in damage

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- Last month's Easy Fire in Simi Valley cost the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library nearly $500,000.

The fire came within 30 yards of the building. It did not touch the structure, but it burned the surrounding landscape.

Melissa Giller, chief marketing officer for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, said the library is prepared for a fire emergency.

The flames chewed through olive trees, presidential banners and an internet and cable box that took down the library's network.

The library had to shut down for two days but has since reopened.

The Reagan Library opened in 1991 and is the home to priceless items documenting President Ronald Reagan's eight years as governor of California and eight years as president of the United States.

The library is home to more than 60 million documents and more than one million photographs covering Reagan's life and administration.

The Easy Fire burned more than 1,800 acres in Ventura County.