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A Case Study of a Community Affected by the Witch and Guejito Wildland Fires

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Abstract

Wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires occur when fire spreads through both wildland and community (structures and vegetation) fuels. These fires are capable of causing significant destruction to both the built and the natural environments. When these fires occur under extreme fire danger conditions (e.g., high winds, low humidity) and in areas of significant population (e.g., San Diego, California) firefighters, and other emergency responders, are significantly challenged by the combination of firefighting and aiding the public. This paper presents the results of an in-depth case study of a community of 274 residences which was subjected to two wildland fires (within 2.5 h of each other) during the October 2007 firestorm in southern California. A significant amount of effort was spent obtaining information from residents and emergency responders to determine the fire spread timeline, structure ignition mechanisms, and defensive actions. Of the 274 residences, 245 were within the fire perimeter, 74 were destroyed, and 16 were damaged. When the first fire front arrived, the rate of structure ignitions peaked at 21 per hour. Direct and indirect ember, or firebrand, attack was responsible for the ignition of 2/3 of the destroyed homes. Defensive actions were taken on one of every three homes. Of the 16 damaged homes, 15 were successfully defended. Further study of this community is ongoing to investigate what currently recommended pre-fire hazard reduction actions could be, and were, implemented and their effectiveness at reducing the likelihood of structure ignition.

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Notes

  1. Certain commercial entities, equipment, or materials may be identified in this document in order to describe an experimental procedure or concept adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, nor is it intended to imply that the entities, materials, or equipment are necessarily the best available for the purpose.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the critical contributions from CALFIRE Chief Ernylee Chamlee, San Diego Fire Department Chief Tracy Jarman, and San Diego Police Department Chief William Lansdowne. Additionally, the authors would like to acknowledge Mr. Steve Arnold, President of The Trails Home Owners Association, for his critical contributions in organizing the data collection efforts with The Trails residents and Jimmy Zurenko for his data collection support. Lastly, the authors would like to thank residents of The Trails and of the city of Poway. Collaboration with Dr. Samuel Manzello of NIST has been an important element of this work and is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Building and Fire Research Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA

    Alexander Maranghides & William Mell

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  1. Alexander Maranghides
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  2. William Mell
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Correspondence to Alexander Maranghides.

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Maranghides, A., Mell, W. A Case Study of a Community Affected by the Witch and Guejito Wildland Fires. Fire Technol 47, 379–420 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-010-0164-y

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