LOS ANGELES _ Perched on a hill overlooking Simi Valley and Moorpark, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library offers sweeping views.
But that location has long made it vulnerable to wildfires.
On Wednesday, the Easy fire was burning close to the library, which is closed. Firefighters were at the facility prepared to provide structure protection. Helicopters were making regular water drops as well.
The library has been threatened by fires in the past. Library officials have said they take pains to protect the facility from flames, ensuring that the open space around the building is kept clear. Each year, the library brings in goats to eat vegetation around the facility.
Opened in 1991, the library is home to the Marine One helicopter, Air Force One, a piece of the Berlin Wall, a replica of the White House Oval Office and a steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center after 9/11.
Two years after the library opened, the Reagan family threw a celebration there for firefighters who battled Southern California's 1993 firestorms.
"Many years ago, we lost our old ranch in Malibu to fire," the president's daughter, Maureen Reagan, said. "When those winds start to blow, the same could happen to any one of us. We live in a place with unique terrain that's continually touched by fire, and thank God we have unique and special men and women that are trained to stop those fires when they threaten people."
The Easy fire has burned more than 400 acres.
