Many view California as a golden state with sunny weather, beaches, and beautiful scenery. What most people don’t understand is that our environment is highly volatile because of the dry climate and high winds. Los Angeles County residents are suffering through 5 brush fires that have damaged over 12,000 homes. North Orange County residents faced their biggest fire in November 2008 when the Freeway Complex fire scorched Yorba Linda, Anaheim, Brea, and Corona communities. Even though more than 15 years have passed, a drive-thru in the eastern end of Yorba Linda still shows evidence of the fire because some vacant lots have never been rebuilt.
A timeline of this historic fire begins during the morning commute along the 91 freeway. Firefighters would later discover the source of the fire is a backfire or exhaust ignition from a disabled car in the brush. The hot, dry Santa Ana winds quickly fueled the fire and spread the flames north into the Yorba Linda hills and south across the 91 freeway into Anaheim hills. These winds gusts up to 80mph, forcing many residents to evacuate. One local resident, Jim Areias, spoke to me about his experience about the freeway fire. “I remember hearing about the fire on the other side of the freeway around 10 am in the morning. We heard the fire had crossed the 91 and was burning up the hillside.” Mr. Areias stated even art that time they were not taking the threat very seriously. He doesn’t recall the exact time in the afternoon that fire trucks drove through the neighborhood telling people to get ready to evacuate. His wife gathered the kids and the dog into the car; they loaded papers and important documents into the front seat in an unorganized fashion. Mr. Areias chose not to evacuate and stayed behind, using two hoses to douse the flames in his neighbor’s palm tree. Looking back he states, “I didn’t realize how dangerous it was to stay behind. I watched two houses away from my own burn to the ground.” The insights into the fire provide personal experience in the face of a wildfire. The image on the left shows the evacuation map.
The Orange County Fire Authority has collected the data and reports on the extensive Freeway Complex Fire. This fire burned over 30,000 acres and destroyed over 381 homes, structures, vehicles, and parks(OCFA). Within the city of Yorba Linda, destroyed or damaged homes exceeded over 200 losses. The OCFA explored firefighting obstacles and the shortages they faced from helicopter and air support. The city of Yorba Linda also examined the problems of traffic and evacuation routes. Residents were angered because Yorba Linda Blvd was backed up and residents were unable to escape the fire path down San Antonio road.
In the 15 years since the Freeway Complex fire, the city, Fire Department, and residents have better prepared for brush fires. Mr. Areias said after the fire he and his family developed a better evacuation plan and organized their personal documents for quick removal. All residents of Southern California need to be prepared for fires. The recent Pacific Palisades fire shows how even communities surrounded by homes can be quickly destroyed by fire pushed by wind. Even after people have rebuilt their lives and homes, the memories and fears of fire stay.
