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In the Wake of the Woolsey Fire, Officials Have

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In the Wake of the Woolsey Fire, Officials Have SPECIALFIRE REPORT SEASON WILL THE NEXT WOOLSEY BE IN TOPANGA? ✎ written by Barbara Burke photographed by Jules Williams In the wake of the Woolsey fire, officials have cautioned that the next devastating fire could very well hit Topanga, which shares many of Malibu’s fire hazards but was spared from last November’s conflagration. We spoke with LAFD and elected officials to learn more about what Topanga residents can do to help mitigate the threat. MALIBU MAGAZINE 45 FIRE SEASON SPECIAL REPORT n the wake of the Woolsey Fire, have created using computerized mod- Topanga residents are acutely els that consider terrain, vegetation and aware that their town could be the location of past fires, place Topanga 1993 - Topanga‘s ground zero in the forthcoming at extreme risk, with 90% of its build- fire season. The memory of the ings in the most severe risk zone. Last Big Fire I 1993 fire that left three people “Virtually all of Topanga is in a Wild- dead and destroyed almost 400 homes land urban Interface, which is an area still haunts many residents. with high fire risk where people reside,” Occurring between the L.A. Riots “Topanga is much more dangerous said Jesus Lopez, “J. Lopez,” Assistant and the Northridge Earthquake, the with regard to the potential damages Chief of the L.A. County Fire Depart- Old Topanga Fire of 1993 left locals from a fire than is Malibu,” said Mali- ment Forestry Division. Lopez oversees devastated. On November 2, 1993, bu City Council Member and Los An- the Fire Department’s Defensible Space authorities were informed that a fire geles County Fire Captain Rick Mullen. Program throughout 4,001 square had ignited on Old Topanga Road. It The greatest danger miles in Los Angeles quickly grew in speed and intensity, posed to residents, County. and within an hour had destroyed he said, was “the sin- The U.S. Forest over 1,000 acres of chaparral brush. gularity of ingress Service defines a Soon the fire had produced a 30,000 and egress,” refer- “Wildland-urban foot column of smoke, creating ring to the fact that interface” as a place a firestorm of winds over 70 mph Topanga Canyon “where humans and with blow torch-like intensity. The Road provides the their development response was enormous, with the primary artery in meet or intermix LAFD assisted by many departments and out of the town. with wildland fuel.” on the west side of the Continental “If people evacu- In high-risk areas Divide. Even military units respond- ate too late and there such as Topanga, ed to help aide with manpower and is a big traffic jam or that intermixing can special equipment. By the time the an accident on To- JESUS LOPEZ Lopez is the be a recipe for disas- fire was put out 8 days later, it had panga Canyon Road, Assistant Chief of the LAFD’s ter. killed three people, decimated that would place Forestry Division. “Clearing your 16,800 acres of land and destroyed people in treacher- brush in accordance 359 homes. ous and dangerous conditions,” he said. with the County Fire Department’s “The key to evacuating in Topanga is to guidelines and creating a defensible leave early when the sky is still blue and space is super-important in Topanga,” one doesn’t see smoke from a fire – do Mullen said. “I think that historically, not wait to see if a fire crosses the 101.” going back thirty years or so, people in Topanga’s unique architecture, with Topanga have been reluctant to clear many structures built in hillsides, also out their brush as much as they should. presents special concerns with regard However, it should be noted that people to fires, Mullen said are taking brush clearance more seri- “Hillsides often have gullies on the ously these days and, although Topanga sides of houses and those are a topo- may not have the appearance of wide graphic danger for fire behavior,” he open spaces that one sometimes asso- said. “Topography is the most danger- ciates with clearing property to prepare CANYON ROAD ous aspect of a brush fire and people for a fire, what is important is whether Topanga Canyon need to realize that fire goes uphill the people have cleared the ground under Road is the primary same way water goes downhill. Where large trees such as oak trees which be- artery in and out of water will go down in a stream in little have quite well in fire conditions.” Topanga, which could make evacuations FIRE PATH The map above charts the gullies or canyons, fire will race upward The Woolsey fire “provided a wake-up Old Topanga Fire’s path. along those same paths.” call regarding the importance of clear- that much more Risk maps that California scientists ing brush,” Mullen said. “Once the fire difficult. 46 MALIBU MAGAZINE MALIBU MAGAZINE 47 BRUSH Residents have long been drawn to Topanga for its lush natural beauty. However officials caution brush clear- ance is a necessity for homeowners. 48 MALIBU MAGAZINE MALIBU MAGAZINE 49 FIRE SEASON crossed the 101 freeway, it was game-on a particularly dire concern in dense- because the fire had ample fuel to burn ly-populated areas of Topanga. What To Do (and Don‘t Do) During all the way to the ocean.” Accordingly, Lopez noted that it is Those who are in the thick of clearing “Homes were important to educate citizens not only brush in fire-prone areas emphasize about how imperative it is to conduct Red Flag Conditions the importance of being proactive in saved in the brush clearance and clear roadways to one’s landscaping practices. allow fire units to have proper access, “Don’t be a fool about fuel that feeds Woolsey fire be- but also about the necessity of creat- Topanga and Malibu residents should always work to ensure their properties are a fire,” said Chris Loguidice, owner of ing defensible spaces on properties to as fire-resistant as possible. During dry and windy red flag conditions, Malibu tree servicing firm Environ- cause of [brush defend against both wildfires and em- however, extra precautions should be taken. mental Tree Care, Inc. “People have to ber storms. Defensible spaces are areas understand that if they have brush, or clearance]. ” around structures that do not contain old railroad ties, mulch or other flam- fuel for an initial firestorm to consume mable materials up against a structure, and just as importantly, for embers it’s a disaster waiting to happen because from a fire to catch onto. Do: Don’t: those materials provide fuel for a fire. An integral part of creating a defen- Homes were saved in the Woolsey fire sible space is to “harden a structure.” on Phillip Drive and Dume Drive in Mal- This means preparing it for both wild- • Position your Car Moving your car so that • Whack Weeds Any rocks hit while weed ibu because [of brush clearance].” fire and an ember storm by addressing you face your exit route will help you evacu- whacking can create sparks that could poten- Attempts to avoid complying with the structure’s most vulnerable compo- ate faster. tially start fires. laws mandating proper clearance of nents utilizing building materials and brush are usually attributable to “a installation techniques that increase re- • Have an Evacuation Kit Ready Make sure • Weld or Cut Metal Fires can be started by combination of people being naïve and sistance to heat, flames and embers that your kit is fully stocked and placed by your flying sparks that hit nearby vegetation not understanding the consequences accompany most wildfires, said Ryan door or inside your car. and their worrying about costs,” Logu- Ulyate, Co-President of North Topanga • Smoke Cigarettes Cigarettes that are im- idice said. Canyon FireSafe Concil, which helps • Pack Pet Carriers in Your Car Ensure that properly disposed of can ignite fires. Assistant Chief Lopez explained that citizens create defensible spaces. your pets can be efficiently and safely moved applicable ordinances require brush “The way we evaluate how to harden a during an evacuation. • Light Campires Open flames such as camp- clearance on properties and that areas structure is to look at it from the eaves fires are illegal in many areas and can be be clean along major roads and access down,” Ulyate said, a sentiment echoed • Keep Flammable Materials Away Protect extremely dangerous in the Santa Monica roads so that firefighters have access to by Lopez. your property by moving outdoor furniture, Mountains during Red Flag Conditions. enter and battle blazes. “People should box-off their eaves, potted plants, doormats, and other flamma- “Sometimes, citizens are concerned meaning that they close off the area ble materials as far away from your home as • Use Gas-Powered Gardening Tools Any about trees being cleared along roads where the eaves overhang because possible. open gasoline containers that come into con- because many people care about the those areas can let embers in,” Lopez tact with sparks can quickly start fires. trees,” he said. “However the roads explained. • Change Automatic Garage Door Settings must be clear. Further, the ordinance Ulyate agreed, explaining that the Make sure you can manually open your ga- requires that an area of four feet be What‘s a WUI? first five feet around a structure are the rage doors so that you can get your car out cleared away from utility poles, but the most crucial to protect from combus- even during a possible power outage. California Public Utilities Commission WUI stands for Wildland tible material.
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