History: December 20th 1977 - Honda Fire - LODD

1977 Honda Canyon Fire recalled

By Joseph N. Valencia/Special To The Record

With the flames cresting on a nearby ridge, Vandenberg Air Force Base Fire Department Captain Michael Bonnell, in the truck, speaks with Chief Roger McGaha during the Honda Canyon Fire. McGaha filled in for Vandenberg Fire Chief Billy Bell who was killed in the fire. //Contributed

The long season of firefighting seemed over, and everything looked calm for the holidays. But on the early morning hours of Dec. 20, 1977, an extreme low-pressure storm quickly approached the coast from the Pacific Ocean. An equally strong high-pressure cell was stalled over California, and the opposite rotation of these two air masses began to generate high winds through the interior and coastal canyons of California. Santa Barbara and Kern counties were caught in the middle.

In Bakersfield and surrounding areas, easterly winds of 90 to 110 mph and much higher gusts would turn the city into a dark cloud of dust and disaster. To add even more threat to an already difficult morning, a high voltage power pole on Tranquillon Ridge was blown over - and the largest and most destructive wildfire in Vandenberg's history had begun.

As the fire grew in size that morning, the Vandenberg fire chief realized the potential and called for mutual aid from Santa Barbara County. I had been a Hotshot firefighter and a reserve for the county, and despite being only 19 years old I had good experience from the past summer's fire season. At 7:45 a.m. the station bells rang and we proceeded “code-3” toward the fire. Our strike team would consist of engines, brush trucks, a hotshot crew, one bulldozer, and about 20 men.

Meanwhile, Vandenberg firefighters were heavily engaged in a containment action on a steep ridge at the origin of the fire. About 8:45 a.m., the fire increased in size and ferocity and the first overrun of an engine company occurred on Tranquillon Ridge. But things were just getting started.

The Vandenberg fire chiefs, county battalion chief, along with the Air Force commander, finally met at an overlook of Honda Canyon. But timing and location mean everything on a wildfire, and at this time a pivotal change occurred. The winds increased to over 100 mph and the flames reached a narrow gap in Honda Canyon and jumped to the opposite ridge. Then, everything aligned - wind, fire, topography - and a vast firestorm shot forward, overrunning several fire teams and killing Base Commander Col. Joseph Turner, Vandenberg Fire Chief Billy Bell and Assistant Fire Chief Eugene Cooper, and badly burning bulldozer operator Clarence McCauley, who died later.

The county battalion chief and three occupants were also overrun and their vehicle destroyed. For a time there was chaos on South Vandenberg. An Air Force general who witnessed these events, radioed his battle-staff and indicated, “There's a disaster in progress!” He ordered immediate local, state, and federal aid.

I was overrun twice. The first occurred with the county strike team, and the second time was during a rescue of the burned bulldozer operator. The winds made a terrible piercing sound and flames began to burn the exterior and then the interior of the ambulance. We were able to escape and make it out alive, but the burned firefighter later died. I was involved in one more rescue of a critically injured firefighter, and the day began to turn into a real nightmare.

The rampaging flames eventually burned to the coastline and split the firefighting teams in half. Our leadership had suffered a great loss and communications was degraded, but out of necessity, the next tier of chiefs, captains and air force commanders stepped forward and a new leadership formed - and the separated teams began to recover.

On the north flank, air force and civilian fire chiefs worried the fire would move into populated areas. On the south flank they feared it would reach the space launch sites and stockpiles of rocket fuels. Both flanks were dangerous and both strategically important.

Firefighters tried everything from indirect attack, direct attack, backfiring, to structure protection. As I recall, the events of that night were extreme, scary, and at times desperate, but we improvised and changed tactics as necessary. However, many were injured and some burned.

The powerful winds continued through the night, but in the end, it would be nature that would decide the final outcome. The next morning - 24 hours after it had started, the winds calmed and the rains arrived, and simultaneously the long western drought ended. The ordeal was over and it would change us all.

Four good men were lost on the Honda Canyon Fire. Several others died in California as a result of one of the strongest wind events of the last century, and later, several more as a result of deadly spores from the San Joaquin Valley - known as “Valley Fever.”

Looking back 30 years, I'm sure that the men who died were doing their duty with honor and conviction. I also remember the professionalism of the Vandenberg medics, nurses, and doctors, and many others who stepped up with integrity and resourcefulness. I know I've seen these same virtues in watching more recent historic events - such as 9/11, and more locally, the Zaca Fire and the California fires of October 2007.

In the tough situations that we all faced, you sometimes had to speak up to be heard. It took a heightened awareness, rational thinking and good decisions, but most of all it required loyalty to each other, and the hope that we would make it through.

Joseph N. Valencia is author of “Beyond Tranquillon Ridge,” the story of the Honda Canyon Fire.

December 20, 2007
Source: Article in the Lompoc Record