An Oakland Waiting to Happen?

Extremely dry conditions resulting from the five-year drought have Orange County fire officials worried that a blaze such as the East Bay wildfire could devestate some semirural communities-as has happened in the past. Prevention is the best defense, officials say.

Major Fires That Destroyed Orange County Homes

Oct. 29-Nov. 2, 1967: The Paseo Grande Fire, the largest in recent Orange County history, was believed to have been started by children playing with matches. Fanned by 50-mph winds, the fire scorched 50,000 acres and destroyed 66 homes in the Lemon Heights-Santa Ana Canyon-Cowan Heights area.

April 21,1982: An Anaheim fire, stoked by 50 m.p.h. Santa Ana winds and fed by wood shake roofs, destroyed 50 buildings housing 1,200 people in 525 apartments. The blaze caused $50 million damages and left more than a thousand people homeless.

Oct. 9, 1982: $16 million in damages were sustained in a Gypsum Canyon fire caused by a downed power line. A faulty utility pole toppled under 40- to 50-mph winds, sparking a fire in the brush below. Nearly 17,000 acres and 14 homes were destroyed. An additional 72 nearby homes were damaged.

Oct. 16,1984: Fire, wind and shake roofs were a destructive mix for two north Brea homes; eight others were damaged. Light winds and shake roofs combined to destroy two north Brea homes and damage eight others. At the time, Brea had an ordinance prohibiting wood shingles on new or remodeled structures.

Nov. 28, 1984: An eight-unit condominium building in Mission Viejo suffered heavy fire damage as fire fighters were forced to ensure the evacuation before fighting the fire.

July 3, 1986: 256 people were evacuated from the Casa de Valencia apartments in Anaheim, when illegal fireworks ignited a wood shake roof. Ninety-four apartments were damaged and 40 apartments gutted by the blaze that swarmed through a common attic with no partitions or fire walls.

June 27, 1990: Orange County’s Carbon Canyon fire is started by a transient in the hills near Brea. The blaze destroyed at least six homes in San Bernardino County and blackened 3,500 acres.

Potential Hot Spots 1. Lemon Heights 2. Cowan Heights 3. Villa Park 4. Orange Park Acres 5. Laguna Canyon 6. Yorba Linda’s hilly section 7. Brea new Chino Hills

Protecting Your Home

Investing a little time in some simple preventive steps greatly increases the chance that your home will escape a brush fire.

Clearance: Remove dry growth from at least 100 feet around the home, if possible. Keep lids on trash cans.

Roofs: Replace combustible roofs with non-combustible ones. Keep them clear of dead leaves.

Chimneys: Install spark-arresters. Clear trees and branches within 10 feet of chimneys.

Power Lines: Cut trees or tree limbs growing northeast of power lines. Santa Ana winds from that direction can knock trees into lines, causing fires.

Plants: Use succulents, ice plant and drought-resistant vegetation.

Access: In canyon areas, clear roads of overhead brush and trees, for emergency escape and access.

Cooperation: Evacuate when ordered. Firefighters must save lives before fighting fires.

Reporting: Quickly notify authorities of suspicious people. Arson is the primary cause of major brush fires.

SOURCE: Capt. Dan Young, Orange County Fire Department