Fire Incident Report: 2018 Santiago Fire Prepared by Staff Nathan Gregory and Isaac Ostmann Irvine Ranch Conservancy Supplemen

Fire Incident Report: 2018 Santiago Fire Prepared by staff Nathan Gregory and Isaac Ostmann Irvine Ranch Conservancy Supplement Aliso and Santiago Fires Summary Report Danny Fry Wildland Fire Management Coordinator Natural Communities Coalition July 11, 2018 1 Fire Incident Report: 2018 Santiago Fire Prepared by Irvine Ranch Conservancy staff Nathan Gregory and Isaac Ostmann Irvine Ranch Conservancy Fire Description The 2018 Santiago Fire started at approximately 5:00 pm on June 11, 2018 due to an unknown ignition along the northbound side of the 241 toll road (33.756532, -117.732609). It was declared 100% contained on June 15th and burned 155 acres. Irvine Ranch Conservancy (Conservancy) staff surveyed and assessed wildlife mortality and sites with plant species of special concern including active restoration polygons (Figure 1). Fire Response and Cooperating Agencies The cooperating agencies included the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL-FIRE). Resources Personnel Hand Crews 11 202 Engines 15 56 Dozers 1 2 Water Tenders 2 4 Overhead ------- 22 Total 29 286 Fire Intensity and Evenness Based on Conservancy fire history data, the last time this area burned was during the 2007 Santiago Fire. This fire burned a patchwork of degraded and intact plant communities, and the evenness varied depending on vegetation type, slope, and topography. Overall, mostly degraded habitat consisting of annual grasses and forbs burned largely evenly with less than 5% unburned, and other habitat types were affected with varying severity. The coastal sage scrub (CSS) communities that burned were relatively un-invaded by exotic annuals and burned evenly with many shrub branches remaining. In contrast, most of the cactus scrub patches on the ridge tops and south-facing slopes burned very patchily due to the larger amount of bare ground typical of south-facing CSS. The large dense cactus patches remained mostly unburned while smaller, stand-alone patches burned with moderate intensity (see Photo 1). Two small sections of riparian habitat along the drainage bottoms totaling less than a quarter acre burned with light to moderate severity, and several oaks within the oak woodland habitat in the drainages similarly burned with light severity. A few scattered areas of native perennial grasses adjacent to West Loma Ridge Road were also affected; being fire adapted, they will likely re-sprout before the next growing season. Fire Suppression Efforts and Post Operations Rehabilitation The OCFA Wildland Fire Coordinator, Dave Erickson, presented a general suppression repair plan to OC Parks on June 12, 2018 that outlined all repairs to be completed for staging areas/safety zones, roads, fire lines, watercourses, slash piles, and any archaeological or historic sites. OCFA completed all repairs and rehabilitation of fire lines in a manner that was both timely and consistent with suppression repair guidelines. Suppression activities from air attack and hand crews were successful along the entire fire perimeter, and none of the containment lines, neither hand nor dozer, appeared to have been breached by the fire (Figure 1). Most of the dozer line was side sloped with minimal berms, requiring no water bars and very little rehabilitation. Ideally, water is expected to sheet off side-sloped dozer lines during rain events rather than being directed down slope by water bars, but water bars were installed in sections of steep fire line that 2 consisted of long, straight runs down slope (see Photo 2). Most cut vegetation was placed back on all hand lines (see Photo 3). Phos-Chek lines and water drops were primarily deployed along the southern and eastern edges of the fire (see Photo 4). Other Impacts A dozer line was cut outside the fire perimeter running parallel to the 241 toll road and runs through an active Conservancy restoration polygon and crosses a riparian watercourse; this line was rehabilitated by OCFA at the riparian crossing (see Photo 5). The Conservancy will likely install straw waddles on portions of this line to prevent erosion within the restoration area. Approximately 250 container plantings and 0.16 acres were also damaged due to the fire and suppression efforts within the restoration site. The estimated total cost of damage and losses within the restoration area is $12,480. A roughly 15-m×15-m cactus restoration site was impacted by a water drop and hand line construction. Some of the displaced pads were placed back on the line as part of the OCFA post-fire operations and hand line rehabilitation (see Photo 6). The operational staging areas in Shoestring Canyon were created in open, flat, and degraded annual grasslands and are expected to return to their previous degraded state with minimal risk of erosion or new invasions. An old road forking to the east from Loma Ridge Road was opened to transport crews into the fire perimeter along a ridge line. The entrance to this road was brushed over as part of the rehabilitation by OCFA (see Photo 7). Sensitive Species Impacts One of seven spadefoot (Spea hammondii) pools is located within the fire perimeter, and all the vegetation within and around this pool burned with moderate severity. However, recent surveys of this particular pool concluded that it is currently not actively being used. No fire suppression activities directly impacted any of the other pools, but a Phos-Chek drop did occur within approximately 3 m of an unburned pool, which may have been affected by light drift (see Photo 8). California cactus wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicappillus) have been documented in the cactus scrub habitat of Loma Ridge and Shoestring Canyon within the fire perimeter. The Natural Communities Coalition (NCC) is conducting ongoing surveys in this area for this species and can provide more information about impacts. As stated above, the large, dense cactus patches occupied by cactus wrens burned with light to moderate severity, but it should be noted that wrens were heard and seen in the area by Conservancy staff on two separate occasions in the days following the fire. Several previously documented locations of Calochortus catalinae were within the fire perimeter as well as one location of Calochortus weedii var. intermedius. Several of these points appear close to or within the dozer and hand lines, but any negative impacts on these species were difficult to assess. No exposed bulbs were found within dozer or hand lines, and it is not known whether any of these plants were active at the time of the fire (Figure 1). Recommendations The Conservancy recommends continuing to work with partners to identify highly sensitive areas such as spadefoot toad enhancement pools, cactus scrub habitat, active restoration polygons, and archaeological sites so that informed decisions can be made during fire incidents to mitigate impacts to sensitive resources. 3 Figure 1: Map of the 2018 Santiago Fire showing suppression efforts, affected restoration polygons, and the locations of sensitive plants and spadefoot ponds. 4 Photos Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5 Photo 6 5 Photo 7 Photo 8 6 Supplement to IRC 2018 Santiago Fire Incident Report- Aliso and Santiago Post-Burn Report Danny Fry Wildland Fire Management Coordinator Natural Communities Coalition July 15, 2018 Fire Description and Area Fire History During the first week of June there were several ignitions within and adjacent the Reserve. The Aliso Fire, located in the Aliso and Wood Canyon Wilderness Park (AWCWP), started in the early afternoon of June 2nd. The ignition point was at the bottom of the canyon along Wood Creek Trail, just south of Mathis Canyon Trail. Approximately 176 acres burned in the canyon bottom and up both slopes toward Top-of-the-World on the Laguna Beach side and Wood Canyon Road on the Aliso Viejo side (Figure 1). Most of the burn was within the Reserve. Table 1 summarizes conditions of the Aliso Fire. In the afternoon on June 11th, the Santiago Fire started along the north bound side of SR241, approximately two miles south of the SR261 junction (Figure 1). The ignition point was on the road edge, and the fire spread quickly into the Loma Ridge area of Irvine Ranch Open Space towards Santiago Canyon Road and Irvine Lake. The forward spread of the fire was stopped by 7 pm, and a total of 156.3 acres burned. Just about the entire burn perimeter was within the Reserve. Table 1 summarizes conditions of the Santiago Fire. Figure 1. Perimeters of the Aliso Fire (left) and Santiago Fire (right). According to the state wildfire record database, the AWCWP does not have a record of large fires (>100 acres) occurring in the past century. However, there have been several small fires occurring 7 around the time the Park was established in 1990 (personal communication, Tom Maloney). The Santiago Fire area has a much longer fire history. The burn perimeter was within the 1914 fire, the Green River Fire (1948), the Shoestring Fire (1957), the Paseo Grande Fire (1967), the Baker Fire (1997), and the Santiago Fire from 2007. In contrast to the Aliso Fire which may be considered old- growth in the context of fire vegetation, the Santiago Fire area has experienced a high historical fire frequency. Table 1. Wildfire summary of Aliso and Santiago Fires which burned in and adjacent the NROC in early June 2018. FMU, Fire Management Unit. Aliso Santiago Incident Date June 2 June 11 Weather/Fire Behavior (FB) Max T=70F, %RH=47-65, Max T=81F, %RH=39-55, SW winds 5-12 mph; high SW winds 7-15 mph; FB

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