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Searing lessons: how the 2007 wildfires changed San Diego County – The San Diego Union-Tribune

"Everywhere you looked,” she said, “there was fire.” You had to be with Tony Mecham, stunned by the number of severe burn victims — 22 — being airlifted from Cal Fire's Potrero station.  “It was like a war zone,” said Mecham, now head of the county's Fire Authority. “That was the first time I’d seen…

"Everywhere you looked,” she said, “there was fire.”

You had to be with Tony Mecham, stunned by the number of severe burn victims — 22 — being airlifted from Cal Fire's Potrero station.

You had to be with Nelly Bulkin, awakened from a fitful sleep by her husband and told to grab their four children and race from their Rancho Bernardo home.

“Embers were flying everywhere,” she said. “I thought for sure our home was going to burn down."

A natural disaster of staggering scope, San Diego County’s 2007 firestorms killed 10 people and destroyed 1,738 homes. Flames consumed 368,316 acres, an area larger than the city of Los Angeles.

More than 500,000 people were evacuated, exceeding the number of Hurricane Katrina evacuees. Motels across the county overflowed with people who were dislocated; others bunked down at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and what was then Qualcomm Stadium.

via www.sandiegouniontribune.com 

A long, very interesting look at the devastating fires that ravaged San Diego County a decade ago. A timely piece in that the conditions are ripe once again for similar outbreaks. The Santa Ana winds (super dry, hot, fast winds blowing from East to West) are predicted for this week. 

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Response to “Searing lessons: how the 2007 wildfires changed San Diego County – The San Diego Union-Tribune”

  1. Casey

    I see they’re still ignoring the fact that regular, controlled burns would alleviate much of the risk.
    Besides modern over-building in high-risk areas (analogous to over-building on flood plains) the prevention of all fires results in the buildup of fuel for the next fire, creating a greater risk. These areas literally evolved to handle regular fires. Some tree species can’t germinate without a fire.
    Regular, controlled burns would reproduce natural conditions in a safe manner, while reducing buildup of fuel for the next fire.

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