The East Bay Hills Fire, Oakland-Berkeley, California
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U.S. Fire Administration/Technical Report Series The East Bay Hills Fire Oakland-Berkeley, California USFA-TR-060/October 1991 U.S. Fire Administration Fire Investigations Program he U.S. Fire Administration develops reports on selected major fires throughout the country. The fires usually involve multiple deaths or a large loss of property. But the primary criterion T for deciding to do a report is whether it will result in significant “lessons learned.” In some cases these lessons bring to light new knowledge about fire--the effect of building construction or contents, human behavior in fire, etc. In other cases, the lessons are not new but are serious enough to highlight once again, with yet another fire tragedy report. In some cases, special reports are devel- oped to discuss events, drills, or new technologies which are of interest to the fire service. The reports are sent to fire magazines and are distributed at National and Regional fire meetings. The International Association of Fire Chiefs assists the USFA in disseminating the findings throughout the fire service. On a continuing basis the reports are available on request from the USFA; announce- ments of their availability are published widely in fire journals and newsletters. This body of work provides detailed information on the nature of the fire problem for policymakers who must decide on allocations of resources between fire and other pressing problems, and within the fire service to improve codes and code enforcement, training, public fire education, building technology, and other related areas. The Fire Administration, which has no regulatory authority, sends an experienced fire investigator into a community after a major incident only after having conferred with the local fire authorities to insure that the assistance and presence of the USFA would be supportive and would in no way interfere with any review of the incident they are themselves conducting. The intent is not to arrive during the event or even immediately after, but rather after the dust settles, so that a complete and objective review of all the important aspects of the incident can be made. Local authorities review the USFA’s report while it is in draft. The USFA investigator or team is available to local authorities should they wish to request technical assistance for their own investigation. This report and its recommendations were developed by USFA staff and by TriData Corporation, Arlington, Virginia, its staff and consultants, who are under contract to assist the USFA in carrying out the Fire Reports Program. The USFA greatly appreciates the cooperation and information received from Fire Chief P. Lamont Ewell and many of the officers and firefighters of the Oakland Fire Department. Those who provided special assistance to USFA’s investigation are listed on page one of this report. Appreciation also goes to Fire Chief Gary Cates, Berkeley Fire Department, Assistant Chief Bill Cullen, Contra Costa County Fire Protection District; the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection; the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and Mr. Bill Patterson, Federal Emergency Management Agency (Region IX Office). Assistance with the investigation was provided by Mr. Hugh Graham. For additional copies of this report write to the U.S. Fire Administration, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727. The report is available on the USFA Web site at http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/ The East Bay Hills Fire Oakland-Berkeley, California Investigated by: J. Gordon Routley This is Report 060 of the Major Fires Investigation Project conducted by TriData Corporation under contract EMW-90-C-3338 to the United States Fire Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency. Department of Homeland Security United States Fire Administration National Fire Data Center U.S. Fire Administration Mission Statement As an entity of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the mission of the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) is to reduce life and economic losses due to fire and related emergencies, through leader- ship, advocacy, coordination, and support. We serve the Nation independently, in coordina- tion with other Federal agencies, and in part- nership with fire protection and emergency service communities. With a commitment to excellence, we provide public education, train- ing, technology, and data initiatives. TABLE OF CONTENTS OVERVIEW OF THE FIRE. 1 SUMMARY OF KEY ISSUES. 2 LOCATION. 4 BACKGROUND. 5 Climatic Conditions. 5 Vegetation. 6 Land Development on the Hills. 7 Burning Characteristics. 8 Previous Fires In The East Bay Hills. 11 Other Wildland-Urban Interface Fires in California. 12 Regulatory Efforts. 13 Fire Protection Agencies. 14 HOW THE FIRE STARTED. 15 Point of Origin. 15 Saturday, October 19th . 15 Sunday, October 20TH. 17 The Restart. 17 Major Flare-Up. 18 Communications Problems. 21 Critical Period. 22 Mutual Aid Begins to Arrive . 25 Lives Saved And Lost. 26 All Forces Retreating. 29 Fire Jumps Freeway. 29 Hiller Highlands. 29 Berkeley Front. 30 CDF Operations . 31 Additional Strike Teams. 33 Claremont Hotel. 34 New Outbreaks. 35 Strategy — Continuing Battle on Multiple Fronts. 36 continued on next page Table of Contents (continued) Evacuations. 36 Tactics. 38 Assessment of the Situation. 39 Unified Command Structure. 40 Additional Resources Ordered . 42 Wind Changes . 42 MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY . 44 Losses. 44 ANALYSIS. 45 Fire Risk. 45 Fire Origin. 48 Fire Characteristics. 48 Wildland-Urban Interface Characteristics. 50 Training And Preparation . 50 Incident Management. 51 Communications . 55 Public Information. 59 Mutual Aid. 59 Volunteer Response. 60 Aircraft Operations. 61 Stress . 64 Firefighter Safety. 66 Emergency Medical Services (EMS). 67 Evacuation . 68 LESSONS LEARNED. 69 APPENDIX A: Reference Publications. 72 APPENDIX B: East Bay Hills Fire Chronology on October 20th . 73 APPENDIX C: Contra Costa County Summary. 85 APPENDIX D: Strike Teams . 88 APPENDIX E: Photographs. 92 The East Bay Fire Oakland-Berkeley, California October 19-22, 1991 Local Contacts: P. Lamont Ewell Director of Fire Services Assistant Chief Don Matthews Assistant Chief John Baker Assistant Chief Andrew Stark Battalion Chief Neil Honeycutt Battalion Chief Manual Navarro Battalion Chief Reginald Garcia Captain Donald Parker Oakland Fire Department 1605 Martin Luther King Oakland, California 94612 Chief Gary Cates Battalion Chief Paul Burresteros Berkeley Fire Department Assistant Chief Bill Cullen Contra Costa County Fire Protection District California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Bill Patterson FEMA Region IX OVERVIEW OF THE FIRE The largest dollar fire loss in United States history occurred in the East Bay Hills, within the California cities of Oakland and Berkeley, between October 19 and 22, 1991. Twenty-five lives were lost and more than 3,000 structures were destroyed by a wildland-urban interface fire in one of the most heavily populated metropolitan areas of the North American continent. The fire completely over- whelmed the firefighting forces of the area, consuming everything in its path, and was only stopped when the Diablo wind conditions abated. The wind had threatened to drive the fire across the entire city of Oakland. 1 2 U.S. Fire Administration/Technical Report Series The factors that set the stage for this disaster were identified long before the fire occurred, and the potential consequences had been predicted by fire officials. Nevertheless, their warnings went unheeded, and the measures that could have reduced the risks were not implemented. More than one billion dollars in damage resulted from a fire that exceeded the worst expectations in the most concerned fire professionals. It was a fire that demonstrates how natural forces may be beyond the control of human intervention and should cause a renewed look at the risk of wildland-urban inter- face fire disasters. Large areas of California are known to be critically vulnerable to wildland-urban interface fires due to the development of urban areas in locations that are subject to extreme fire hazards created by climate, terrain, and natural fuels. Several major fires have occurred over the years, including one in 1970 that involved a large portion of the area burned in this incident. The coastal region was par- ticularly vulnerable in the fall of 1991, after five years of drought, several months with no recorded precipitation, and reduced efforts to control wildland interface hazards due to State and local budget limitations. The key ingredient in this incident was the Diablo wind condition, which combined with the other critical fire risk factors to create an irresistible destructive force. On the following page is a map of the area of Oakland where the fire occurred. This same map is repeated several times later in the report overlaid with arrows illustrating the direction and develop- ment of the fire at various stages. A regional map appears on page 6. This fire was originally labeled as the “Tunnel Fire.” It is now being described as the East Bay Hills Fire in most reports. SUMMARY OF KEY ISSUES Issues Comments Location Wildland-urban interface area, Oakland-Berkeley Hills, California. Risk Factors Extreme fire risk created by five year drought, low humidity, and Diablo winds; highly combustible natural fuels, inadequate separation between natural fuels and structures; unregulated use of wood shingles as roof and siding material; steep terrain, homes overhanging