DOCSLIB.ORG

Old, Grand Prix, and Padua Fires (October, 2003) Burn Impacts to Water Systems and Resources

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Old, Grand Prix, and Padua Fires (October, 2003) Burn Impacts to Water Systems and Resources Old, Grand Prix, and Padua Fires (October, 2003) Burn Impacts to Water Systems and Resources Santa Ana River Watershed Area San Bernardino National Forest, California Prepared for: Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team U.S. National Forest Service Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority 11615 Sterling Avenue Riverside, CA 92503 (909) 354-4224 www.sawpa.org November 10, 2003 (Revised December 5, 2003) SUMMARY The Santa Ana Watershed supplies most of the drinking water for over 5 million of the Watershed’s residents. Rainfall in and around the San Bernardino, San Gorgonio and San Jacinto Mountains’ forest areas, provides surface water flows and groundwater recharge throughout the region via the Santa Ana River and its tributaries. Recent fires in these areas were large and difficult to contain and the aftermath of these fire events have resulted in extraordinary impacts on the forest and the Watershed. The recent Grand Prix, Old and Padua Fires burned over 120,000 acres (more than 185 square miles) of wild land habitat in the Santa Ana Watershed, primarily within the San Bernardino National Forest. These fires will have significant impacts on the Santa Ana River and its associated water quality for an extended period and will impact areas far from the burned sites. It is estimated that the fires’ effects will impact an additional 430 square miles of the Watershed. In sum, Burned Mountaintop the recent fires will impact one-quarter of the Watershed and without intervention most of the associated costs will be borne by local government. The purpose of this summary is to document the likely impacts to water supply, quality, habitat Issues Summary and flood control throughout the Watershed resulting from the Grand Prix, Old and Padua Fires. The · Severe fire in area information contained herein is intended to provide providing drinking water for over 5 million people background and support for the United States Forest Service (USFS) Burn Area Emergency Response · Water resources already (BAER) Team. Upon review by the BAER Team, this reduced by drought summary will intend to inform and aid decision makers · Sediment, ash and debris and other interested parties throughout the Watershed. will flow out of burn areas and damage infrastructure Fuel loads in the San Bernardino National Forest and · Impacts will occur in adjoining areas are extraordinarily high due to forest burned areas and and private property management practices in these downstream urban forest areas. Estimating the water quality impacts · Mitigation costs cannot be after a large burn across these fuel-laden areas is borne by cash-strapped difficult, but research by SAWPA indicates that the local governments Santa Ana Watershed is at risk if winter rains are average to heavy. SAWPA staff reviewed the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Forest Service Environmental Impact Reports for controlled burn management, Forest Service research publications, Los Angeles County Flood Control plans, impact history from the Heyman fire in Colorado, and personal communications with Riverside Fire Lab personnel. - 1 – Although recent analysis has focused on fire effects within the burn area and areas directly adjacent, much of the impacted infrastructure will be far from the burn areas and located in the heavily populated valleys. Infrastructure needs within the Santa Ana Watershed were identified in 1999, as part of the development of an Integrated Watershed Program (IWP). SAWPA was directed by the five largest water districts in the region to develop and implement a plan to ensure sufficient clean water to entirely support watershed needs, presently and in the future. To prepare for greater water demands, projected to increase nearly 30% within 20 years, and seeking to drought proof the region so that no imported water would be required during drought years, SAWPA developed a 10-year IWP to Flood Control Channel Downstream of Fire address regional needs. Over 200 water resource-related projects were identified as part of this program to date. Three billion dollars were estimated to implement the 10-year IWP. In 2000, SAWPA successfully contracted with the State Water Resources Control Board to use $235 million in Proposition 13 Water Bond funds to begin construction of over 800 million dollars in projects, directly supporting the IWP. Costs borne by local agencies in response to problems arising from recent fire events will significantly impact the ability of cooperating agencies to implement the SAWPA IWP. Therefore, efforts to reduce the region’s dependence on imported water will be drastically impacted and consequently, will have a lasting impact on water supplies statewide. Costs of mitigating the effects of recent fires within the Watershed are estimated to be near $450 million, and are summarized below: Fire Impact Cost Estimates Impact Type Total Cost First Year Sediment Removal (5 years) $ 125,250,000 $12,525,000 Flood Control Improvements (56 basins) $ 56,000,000 $5,600,000 Basin Percolation Restoration (25 basins) $ 6,250,000 $1,250,000 Habitat Restoration (7,500 acres) $ 15,000,000 $1,500,000 Toxic or Radiological Treatment $ 13,000,000 $500,000 Inorganic Salt Removal (Capital and 20 yrs. Op) $ 182,000,000 $18,200,000 River and Basin Quality Monitoring $ 8,850,000 $1,770,000 Water Supply Emergency $ 35,350,000 $3,535,000 Wetland Restoration (2,500 acres) $ 5,000,000 $500,000 TOTAL $446,700,000 $45,380,000 - 2 – In addition, local water agencies have expressed concern over the direct infrastructural damage to wells, access roads and other infrastructures resulting from increased debris and sediment flow from storm events following the fires. Although the fires did not burn every area anticipated in Recent Fires Will Increase earlier calculations, impacts are likely to be severe over five Levels of: or more years, depending on rainfall and storm intensity. · Sediment/Silt The estimated cumulative cost to the Watershed is estimated to be greater that $800 million, not including fire damage to · Contaminants homes and habitat. In addition, much of the unburned area is · Salts still at extreme risk for catastrophic fire. In the future, costs · Ash are likely to be higher than those projected from the recent fire events. Anticipated Effects to the Watershed from Recent Fire Events The Grand Prix, Old and Padua fires of October and November of 2003, burned over 185 square miles of the front country, urbanized facing slopes, in the San Bernardino National Forest and adjacent lands. Fire damage was limited in the mountainous upper watershed containing high populations of pine trees suffering mortality from drought and bark beetle infestation. Approximately three percent or 3,600 acres of the standing timber impacted by the bark beetle burned in this fire. Much of the area burned by the fire was located in the mountain foothills and consisted of invasive, exotic grasses and inland coastal sage scrub habitats. Discussion with local water agencies identified the following areas of risk to the Grand Prix Fire Watershed associated with the October and November 2003 fires: 1. Water Quality and Supply Impacts; 2. Habitat and Endangered Species Impacts; and 3. Flood Control Impacts. Each area will be discussed more thoroughly in subsequent sections. - 3 – INTRODUCTION This section provides an overview of the existing geologic and hydrologic features, and ecological features of the Watershed. Existing Geologic, Hydrologic, and Ecological Features of the Santa Ana Watershed The upper watershed or headwaters, including the highest point in the drainage system, is delineated by the east-west ridgeline of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains (Fig. 1). Over this ridgeline lies the Mojave Desert, which is part of the Lahontan Basin. This upper “erosion” zone of the Watershed has the highest gradient, highest erosion level of new sediment to the system, and fastest stormwater runoff. As flows consist mainly of snowmelt and storm runoff from the undeveloped land in the San Bernardino National Forest, water quality tends to be high, with low concentrations of total dissolved solids, nitrates, and other pollutants. In this zone, the Santa Ana River (River) channel is confined in its lateral movement, contained by the slope of the high, mountainous terrain. Within the upper watershed, the River and its tributaries travel around large boulders and over sand and gravel bars punctuated by pools and riffles reaching depths of approximately six feet. Sedimentary and crystalline materials from the upper watershed move down slope through a process fed by storm pulses; therefore, sediment does not move at a continuous speed. River flow from Seven Oaks Dam to the City of San Bernardino consists mainly of storm flows, flows from the Lower San Timoteo Creek, and groundwater that is rising due to local geological features. From the City of San Bernardino to the City of Riverside, the River flows perennially and much of the reach is operated as a flood control facility. The principal tributary streams in the upper Santa Ana Watershed originate in the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains. From the City of Riverside to the recharge basins downstream from Imperial Highway, River flow, under non-storm conditions, consists of highly treated Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) effluent, urban runoff, irrigation runoff, imported water applied for groundwater recharge, and groundwater forced to the surface by underground barriers. Near Corona, the River cuts through the Santa Ana Mountains and the Puente-Chino Hills, which together form the northern end of the Peninsular Ranges in Southern California. The River then flows onto the Orange County coastal plain where the channel lessens in gradient, the Burn Area, San Bernardino Mountains valley floor is reached, and the soft features of the channel where sediment has deposited is more prevalent. Floodplains are strewn with boulders and characterized by sand and gravel washes. - 4 – The Orange County coastal plain is composed of alluvium derived from the mountains.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Post-Fire Treatment Effectiveness for Hillslope Stabilization
    United States Department of Agriculture Post-Fire Treatment Forest Service Rocky Mountain Effectiveness for Research Station General Technical Hillslope Stabilization Report RMRS-GTR-240 August 2010 Peter R. Robichaud, Louise E. Ashmun, and Bruce D. Sims A SUMMARY OF KNOWLEDGE FROM THE Robichaud, Peter R.; Ashmun, Louise E.; Sims, Bruce D. 2010. Post-fire treatment effectiveness for hill- slope stabilization. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-240. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 62 p. Abstract This synthesis of post-fire treatment effectiveness reviews the past decade of research, monitoring, and product development related to post-fire hillslope emergency stabilization treatments, including erosion barri- ers, mulching, chemical soil treatments, and combinations of these treatments. In the past ten years, erosion barrier treatments (contour-felled logs and straw wattles) have declined in use and are now rarely applied as a post-fire hillslope treatment. In contrast, dry mulch treatments (agricultural straw, wood strands, wood shreds, etc.) have quickly gained acceptance as effective, though somewhat expensive, post-fire hillslope stabilization treatments and are frequently recommended when values-at-risk warrant protection. This change has been motivated by research that shows the proportion of exposed mineral soil (or conversely, the propor- tion of ground cover) to be the primary treatment factor controlling post-fire hillslope erosion. Erosion barrier treatments provide little ground cover and have been shown to be less effective than mulch, especially during short-duration, high intensity rainfall events. In addition, innovative options for producing and applying mulch materials have adapted these materials for use on large burned areas that are inaccessible by road.
    [Show full text]
  • Lessons from the October 2003 Wildfires in Southern California
    Lessons from the October 2003 Wildfires in Southern California Jon E. Keeley, C.J. Fotheringham, and Max A. Moritz The Southern California fires of late Oct. 2003 burned 742,000 ac and destroyed 3,361 homes is the focus of this article. and 26 lives. Factors leading up to this event were very different between forests, which com- prised about 5% of the area burned, and shrublands. Three lessons are (1) although these Separating Forest Fires from Shrubland fires were massive, they were not unprecedented, and future fires of this magnitude are to be Burning expected; (2) the current fire management policy is not effective at preventing these massive These southern California fires fires; and (3) future developments need to plan for these natural fire events much the same burned through diverse plant commu- way we currently incorporate engineering solutions to earthquakes and other natural cata- nities. The proportion of different veg- strophes. etation types was not proportional to ABSTRACT the media coverage and thus there is widespread belief that these were forest Keywords: firestorm; fuel mosaics; historical fires; Santa Ana winds; policy fires. However, coniferous forests com- prised only about 5% of the total acreage burned (frap.cdf.ca.gov). he southern California fires of interface. A total of 3,361 homes and 26 Media focus on these forest fires was late Oct. 2003 were, cumula- lives were lost in this event. It is without undoubtedly due to the fact that they Ttively, the single largest event in a doubt the costliest disaster to befall burned in unnaturally intense and California’s recent history.
    [Show full text]
  • Southern California Wildfires October 20 to November 3, 2003
    Service Assessment Southern California Wildfires October 20 to November 3, 2003 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service Silver Spring, Maryland Service Assessment Southern California Wildfires October 20 to November 3, 2003 July 2004 National Weather Service Brigadier General (Retired) David L. Johnson, Assistant Administrator Preface Hot, dry offshore winds, known as Santa Ana Winds in southern California, coupled with long-term abnormally dry conditions across the area, set the stage for one of the more costly natural disasters in California history. During late October into early November 2003, fourteen wind driven wildfires swept across Southern California. These wildfires killed 22 people, destroyed 3,600 homes, charred nearly 740,000 acres of land, and caused more than $2 billion in property damage. Casualties and property loss were highest in the San Diego metropolitan area. These losses were a result of the Cedar Fire moving into urban areas on Sunday, October 26, 2003. Due to the magnitude of this event, we formed a service assessment team to examine the forecast and warning services provided to land managers, fire control personnel, emergency planners, media and the public. Service assessments provide a valuable contribution to ongoing efforts by the National Weather Service (NWS) to improve the quality, timeliness, and value of our products and services. Findings and recommendations from this assessment will improve techniques, products, services, and information
    [Show full text]
  • 2018 Strategic Fire Plan
    SShhaassttaa--TTrriinniittyy UUnniitt 22001188 SSTTRRAATTEEGGIICC FFIIRREE PPLLAANN UNIT STRATEGIC FIRE PLAN AMENDMENTS Page Numbers Description of Updated Date Section Updated Updated Update By 12/22/12 Appendix A Update to Projects DW 12/22/12 Appendix B Update Goals and Objectives DW 12/22/12 Appendix C Added Communities at risk DW 12/22/12 Appendix D Update Maps DW 4/5/14 Section Il Update Collaborators DW 4/5/14 Section Ill Update Values and Communities DW 4/5/14 Section V Added Camp, LaTour DW 4/5/14 Appendix A Update Project List DW 4/5/14 Appendix C Add Ignition Analysis DW 4/5/14 2013 Supplemental Add 2013 Supplement DW 4/09/15 Appendix C Updated Ignition Analysis DB 4/23/15 Appendix A Updated CalMAPPER Chart DB 4/09/16 Appendix A 40 Updated CalMAPPER Chart DB 4/09/16 New Plan Template 1-50 Utilized New Blank template DB 4/17/16 Appendix C 42 Updated Ignition Analysis DB 4/17/16 2015 Supplemental 50 Unit Accomplishments Page DB 2/1/17 Section V Update Battalion JWB 2/9/17 Appendix C 42 Updated Ignition Analysis JWB 2/15/17 Appendix A 39 Updated Project List JWB 3/2/17 2016 Supplemental 49 Unit Accomplishments Page JWB 3/28/17 All Sections 1-48 Update Fire Plan Doc JWB 2/5/18 All Sections Updated Document Format NW 2/5/18 Section 2 10 Update Communities at Risk NW 4/10/18 Section 2 9 Update Collaborators NW 2/6/18 Appendix B 38 Update Ignition Analysis NW 3/6/18 Appendix B 37 Update Goals and Objective NW 4/10/18 Appendix A 36 Updated Unit Project List NW 4/25/18 Section V 34 Updated LaTour Information NW 5/1/18 Cover New Cover Page NW 5/2/18 2017 Supplemental 48 Update Unit Accomplishments NW i Last update:May 10, 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Presettlement Fire Frequency Regimes of the United States: a First Approximation
    PRESETTLEMENT FIRE FREQUENCY REGIMES OF THE UNITED STATES: A FIRST APPROXIMATION Cecil C. Frost Plant Conservation Program, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Raleigh, NC 27611 ABSTRACT It is now apparent that fire once played a role in shaping all but the wettest, the most arid, or the most fire-sheltered plant communities of the United States. Understanding the role of fire in structuring vegetation is critical for land management choices that will, for example, prevent extinction of rare species and natural vegetation types. Pre-European fire frequency can be reconstructed in two ways. First is by dating fire scars on old trees, using a composite fire scar chronology. Where old fire-scarred trees are lacking, as in much of the eastern United States, a second approach is possible. This is a landscape method, using a synthesis of physiographic factors such as topography and land surface form, along with fire compartment size, historical vegetation records, fire frequency indicator species, lightning ignition data, and remnant natural vegetation. Such kinds of information, along with a survey of published fire history studies, were used to construct a map of presettlement fire frequency regions of the conterminous United States. The map represents frequency in the most fire-exposed parts of each landscape. Original fire-return intervals in different parts of the United States ranged from nearly every year to more than 700 years. Vegetation types were distributed accordingly along the fire frequency master gradient. A fire regime classification system is proposed that involves, rather than a focus on trees, a consideration of all vegetation layers.
    [Show full text]
  • Tectonic Geomorphology of the Santa Ana Mountains
    Final Technical Report ACTIVE DEFORMATION AND EARTHQUAKE POTENTIAL OF THE SOUTHERN LOS ANGELES BASIN, ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Award Number: 01HQGR0117 Recipient’s name: University of California - Irvine Sponsored Projects Administration 160 Administration Building, Univ. of CA - Irvine Irvine, CA 92697-1875 Principal investigator: Lisa B. Grant, Ph.D. Department of Environmental Analysis & Design 262 Social Ecology 1 University of California Irvine, CA 92697-7070 Program element: Research on earthquake occurrence and effects Research supported by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Department of the Interior, under USGS award number 01HQGR0117. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government. p. 1 Award number: 01HQGR0117 ACTIVE DEFORMATION AND EARTHQUAKE POTENTIAL OF THE SOUTHERN LOS ANGELES BASIN, ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Eldon M. Gath, University of California, Irvine, 143 Social Ecology I, Irvine, CA, 92697-7070; tel: 949-824-5382, fax: 949-824-2056, email: [email protected] Eric E. Runnerstrom, University of California, Irvine, 143 Social Ecology I, Irvine, CA, 92697- 7070; tel: 949-824-5382, fax: 949-824-2056, email: [email protected] Lisa B. Grant (P.I.), University of California, Irvine, 262 Social Ecology I, Irvine, CA, 92697- 7070; tel: 949-824-5491, fax: 949-824-2056, email: [email protected] TECHNICAL ABSTRACT The Santa Ana Mountains (SAM) are a 1.7 km high mountain range that form the southeastern boundary of the Los Angeles basin between Orange and Riverside counties in southern California. The SAM have three well developed erosional surfaces preserved on them, as well as a suite of four fluvial fill terraces preserved in Santiago Creek, which is a drainage trapped between the uplifting SAM and a parallel Loma Ridge.
    [Show full text]
  • 2011 Wildfire Activity Statistics California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
    2011 Wildfire Activity Statistics Ken Pimlott Director California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection John Laird Secretary Natural Resources Agency Edmund G. Brown Jr., Governor State of California 2011 Wildfire Activity Statistics California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection 2011 Wildfire Activity Statistics California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Office of the State Fire Marshal Administration/Executive Office Mailing Address: P.O. Box 944246 Sacramento, CA 94244-2460 Location Address: 1131 "S" Street Sacramento, CA 95811 Phone: (916) 445-8200 Fax: (916) 445-8509 California All Incident Reporting System (CAIRS) Phone: (916) 445-8435 Fax: (916) 445-8459 Acknowledgements We wish to acknowledge and thank all who supplied data, resources, professional expertise, and assisted in the review of the reports. ii 2011 Wildfire Activity Statistics California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Table of Contents Foreword — Wildfire Activity Statistics iv-v 2011 Statewide Fire Summary Table 1. Protection Areas by Wildfire Agency — Fires and Acres 1 Table 2. The Top Five Fires by Acreage Burned 1 AREA PROTECTED Map 1. State Responsibility Area (SRA) 2 Table 3. State Responsibility Area, Acres Protected By Other Agencies 3-4 Map 2. CAL FIRE — Direct Protection Area (DPA) 5 Table 4. CAL FIRE — Direct Protection Area, Acres Protected By Jurisdiction 6-7 WILDFIRE STATISTICS — CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE AGENCIES Table 5. Large Fires 300 Acres and Greater — State and Contract Counties Direct 8-9 Protection Area Table 6. Large Fires 300 Acres and Greater — Other Agencies Direct Protection Area 10-11 Table 7. Number of Fires and Acres Burned by Cause and by Size in Contract Counties 12-13 WILDFIRE STATISTICS — CAL FIRE Fires Table 8.
    [Show full text]
  • Estimating the Impacts of Wildfire on Ecosystem Services in Southern California
    Estimating the Impacts of Wildfire on Ecosystem Services in Southern California Emma Underwood University of California, Davis, USA and Southampton University, UK Hugh Safford US Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region and University of California, Davis Mediterranean-type ecosystems • Cool moist winters, warm dry summers • Long dry season • High inter-annual variability in precipitation • Fire is a major ecological process Characterized by • High levels of biodiversity • High population densities • High levels of threats Area burned in California wildfires 2003-2018 9000 8000 7000 y = 139.82x - 277808 R² = 0.0918 6000 5000 4000 Square km 3000 2000 1000 0 Estimate of insured fire loss, the 10 worst wildfires in US history 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 Insured Structures Rank Date Name, Location Deaths loss ($ d destroyed millions) 1 Nov. 8-25, 2018 Camp Fire, CA 18800 86 9000 2 Oct. 8-20, 2017 Tubbs Fire 5640 22 >4000 3 Nov. 8-12, 2018 Woolsey Fire, CA 1600 3 3000 4 Oct. 8-20, 2017 Atlas Fire, CA 780 6 >2000 5 Dec. 4-Jan. 12, 2017 Thomas Fire, CA 1070 21* 1800 6 Oct. 20-21, 1991 Oakland Hills Fire, CA 3290 25 1700 7 Jul. 23-Aug. 30, 2018 Carr Fire, CA 1605 8 1650 8 Oct. 21-24, 2007 Witch Fire, CA 1265 2 1300 9 Oct. 25-Nov. 4, 2003 Cedar Fire, CA 2820 15 1060 10 Oct. 25-Nov. 3, 2003 Old Fire, CA 975 6 975 Insurance Information institute, https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics- wildfires; Updated for 2017 & 2018 fires from preliminary online data Current fire situation in northern v.
    [Show full text]
  • Old, Grand Prix, and Padua Wildfire Complex Costs
    The Old, Grand Prix, and Padua Wildfires: How much did these Fires Really Cost? --Satellite View of the 2003 Southern California Wildfires-- A Preliminary Report on Expenditures and Discussion of Economic Costs Resulting from the 2003 Old, Grand Prix and Padua Wildfire Complex Alex E. Dunn USDA Forest Service- San Bernardino National Forest, San Bernardino, CA on assignment to the Pacific Southwest Research Station, Riverside, CA With Contributions From: Armando Gonzalez-Caban, PhD USDA Forest Service-Pacific Southwest Research Station, Riverside, CA Karen Solari USDA Forest Service-Cooperative Forestry, Washington. D.C. Opening Thoughts: More often than not what most agencies and individuals report as the total cost of an activity or event is really the financial costs the agency or individual incurred while performing the activity, be it fixing a faucet at home or suppressing a wildland fire. That is, these are out of pocket expenses. When the Forest Service, for example, reports the cost of putting out a fire at $5 million, is that the true economic cost of that fire? The answer is categorically NO. The reported $5 million figure includes the costs of personnel (regular, hazard, and overtime pay), equipment (engines, bulldozers, fixed and rotary wing aircrafts, etc), travel time, etc. This amount does not include: damage to the resource being protected, value of personal and commercial property lost, losses due to closure of airports, schools, businesses, recreation areas, loss of tourism revenues, displacement of workers, increase in health costs due to smoke exposure, the opportunity cost of the investment in fire suppression activities, etc. When all of those impacts are taken into consideration the true cost of the impact of the event hits like a 25-pound sledge hammer.
    [Show full text]
  • News Headlines 8/5-11/2017
    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ News Headlines 8/5-11/2017 Explosion caused by THC lab burns three, 1 arrested 3 burned, arrested in honey oil lab explosion and fire near Victorville Baptism of fire: High Desert escaped 2 massive wildfires a year ago relatively unscathed Smoky 12-hour days, close flames and a burning desire to excel Bluecut Fire: One year later Yucaipa man linked to 8 wildfires is charged with arson Authorities charge 23-year-old man suspected of starting multiple fires Jarrod Samra, 23, charged with multiple counts of arson Yucaipa arson suspect was a fire explorer — but dropped out, officials say Firefighters quickly knock down brush fire off Amargosa Road in Hesperia Brush Fire along Amargosa Road in Victorville quickly extinguished Authorities: Man found dead in Hesperia house fire Hoarding conditions prove fatal for man in Hesperia house fire Man found dead in House fire on Mission Street in Hesperia Marijuana grow found after house fire erupts in Victorville Illegal Marijuana Grow Discovered Half Mile From Victorville Police Station Bloomington fire prompts 650-gallon oil spill; hazmat team called in Baby sitter wanted for child cruelty after children take THC 4 killed in three-vehicle crash on 10 Freeway in Fontana Mountain dodges another bullet Tips To Avoid Getting Lost in the Desert UPDATE: Man flown to trauma center after shooting in Victorville; 1 detained UPDATE: Pedestrian struck and
    [Show full text]
  • Community Impacts from the 2003 Fires in Southern California1
    Community Impacts from the 2003 Fires in Southern California1 Deborah J. Chavez2 The San Bernardino Mountains in southern California have been inhabited for more than 7,000 years. Before European settlement, the forest was used mainly for the subsistence of native peoples. These needs included food, shelter, raw materials for tools, basketry, and cooking and warming fires (Nakamura, 2003). The mountains first became urbanized in the 1920s, after introduction of the automobile and improved road systems. Today these and other forests in southern California are home to not only tens of thousands of humans and structures, but also hundreds of rare or at-risk animals and plant species, such as the California spotted owl, San Bernardino flying squirrel and southern rubber boa (Nakamura, 2003). At 672,000 acres, the San Bernardino National Forest (SBNF) is not one of the nation’s largest national forests, but with 24 million people living within a two-hour drive, it is one of the nation’s most heavily used forests (Blackwell, 2003). People may hold multiple values for this forest. They may highly value property, fauna, their sense of community, a healthy forest, a drinking water source, or the view. The four-year drought in southern California and poor air quality have weakened trees and brush allowing various species of endemic bark beetles, root disease and dwarf mistletoe to reach epidemic proportions on the SBNF. In part, this unhealthy forest condition might be the result of too many trees (Jensen, 2003). Forests in these conditions cannot withstand natural stresses. About 474,000 acres of the SBNF have experienced severe tree loss, ranging from ten percent to 100 percent of all the trees in a given area (Blackwell, 2003).
    [Show full text]
  • Ventura County Fire Protection District Unit Strategic Fire Plan 2020
    Unit Strategic Fire Plan Ventura County Fire Protection District Last update-May 2020 UNIT STRATEGIC FIRE PLAN AMENDMENTS Date Section Updated Page Numbers Description of Update Updated Updated By 11/15/16 Unit overview 5 Fire update Moomey 11/25/16 Dispatch 14 Addition of Oxnard fire Moomey 11/25/16 Tech/websites 36,37 Pulse Point Moomey 04/01/17 Volunteerism 69 Entire section Moomey 04/02/2018 Unit description 4,5 Population/ Fire activity Moomey 04/09/2018 Fuel beds 6,7,8,12 Fire activity/ Fuels Moomey 05/02/2018 Collaboration 21,22 Contact update Moomey 05/03/2018 Accomplishments 56-59,61,62 Accomplishments Moomey 05/03/2018 Project activities PDF Report attachment Report Moomey 05/04/2018 Cover page New photo Moomey 05/14/2018 Fire Hazard 41 Fee Rate Moomey Reduction 04/04/2019 Executive summary 2,3,4 Strategic plan Moomey 04/05/2019 Unit Description 6,7 Fires over 300 acres Moomey 04/15/2019 Unit Preparedness 16 Santa Paula Moomey 04/15/2019 Fuel Beds 9,10,11 Fire update Moomey 04/16/2019 Unit Preparedness 21,22 Station Directory Moomey 04/16/2019 Unit Preparedness 22 Map Update Moomey 04/17/2019 Pre-Fire 36,37,38,39 Defensible Space Moomey 04/20/2019 Pre-Fire 41,42 Vegetation Management Moomey 04/22/2019 Pre-Fire 43 Fire Hazard Reduction Moomey 04/23/2019 Pre-Fire Tactics 47 Vegetation Management Moomey 04/25/2019 Pre-Fire 50 Pre-Fire Projects Moomey 04/29/2019 Annual Reporting 60-65,68&69 Accomplishments Moomey 05/01/2019 Table of Contents Update page numbers Moomey 03/18/2020 Air Unit Helicopter capabilities Lovo 04/15/2020 Unit Overview 7,10,13 Fire season 2019 update Moomey 04/17/2020 Unit Preparedness 16,17,18,20,22,23 Battalions, Dispatch, plans Moomey 04/28/2020 Collaboration 24,25,26 New Partners Moomey 04/29/2020 Appendix A and D 50,51,56,57 Pre-Fire Projects , Map Moomey 04/29/2020 Accomplishments 61,62,63,64-71 Annual Moomey Last update-May 2020 Table of Contents SIGNATURE PAGE .......................................................................................................
    [Show full text]