Threat of wildfires near Tehachapi seen as probability by local officials
Threat of wildfires near Tehachapi seen as probability by local officials
By: Bill Mead, Tehachapi News Columnist
Topics:
Posted by editor Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
Viewed 383 times
0 responses 0 comments Although I have lived in many California locales over the past 60-plus years, it was just a few weeks ago when, for the first time, I got a close look at the aftermath of a major wildfire. It was known as the Harris Fire which ravaged the countryside along the Mexican border east of Chula Vista. The Harris Fire caused several deaths and multi-million-dollar destruction to property, but it wasn't the worst of the wildfires that plagued a large part of Southern California only a few weeks ago.
Another Tehachapi resident, Mark Kingsbury, of Bear Valley Springs, got a much closer look at the Harris Fire and what he saw makes him even more fearful of what could happen here. Kingsbury is a captain in the Kern County Fire Department, specializing in fuel management and prescribed fires. He is one of California's best-trained and experienced wildfire experts. Kingsbury was on the San Diego County firelines along with many other firefighters from a large part of the state who fought the all-consuming flames made especially deadly by super-dry weather conditions, Santa Ana winds, and in far too many cases, the failure of residents to adequately protect their lives and property by removing fuel and taking other steps to minimize fire damages.
Kingsbury wasn't surprised by the swath of destruction from the Harris Fire. His observations there merely reinforced his concern for what he is convinced could happen around Tehachapi if the same dangerous conditions arose here. Since nobody can influence atmospheric humidity or high winds, the emphasis on minimizing wildfire damages has to be placed on avoiding the possibilities for ignition and removal of fuel around sensitive locations, such as structures, he said.
Along with Kingsbury and other local officials, including those from the City of Tehachapi, Kern County Fire Department and other government agencies in the Tehachapi area, Kern County Supervisor Don Maben, of Tehachapi and his local aide, Mary Beth Garrison, have made suppression of wildfires among their top concerns. Maben and Garrison successfully pushed for the clearing of overgrown vegetation in Tehachapi Mountain Park last year and are now observing with approval the fuel removal work now taking place on the western edge of Golden Hills.
But the real challenge in minimizing the effects of wildfires, they say, lies in educating residents on how to protect their own lives and properties in case of wildfire. An easy-to-understand guide for avoiding wildfires and minimizing damages to individual properties is available at any Tehachapi area fire station.
As a rank amateur in fire suppression, I have two principal observations after seeing first-hand what the Harris Fire did. First, I was stunned by the ability of a wildfire to travel so far and so fast with so little fuel. I had no idea that short grass and small, widely spaced bushes and trees could feed a fire of such magnitude.
My second impression is that removal of fuel around structures is a highly effective way to thwart the consequences of even a large scale wildfire. I particularly noted an unscathed home next to a large tree that the fire had almost totally consumed. However, the lower branches of the tree had been pruned well away from the house, one of the techniques recommended by wildfire experts. Nearby, an outbuilding had been reduced to ashes even though it sat in what seemed to be a well-cleared area. Then I noticed the charred remains of an insignificant bush next to the ruins. Apparently this tiny bush had set the building afire.
Wildfire control projects locally are being coordinated and promoted by the Greater Tehachapi Fire Safe Council. For more information about fire safety or to arrange a Council speaker for your organization, call the Tehachapi City Fire Department at 822-2230.
| Send to a Friend | Report a Violation |