8th Anniversary of NorCal Fire Outbreak

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

8th Anniversary of NorCal Fire Outbreak

By :californiadisasters Kim Noyes

Eight years ago tonight Northern California was being raked by a Diablo Wind event that drove three large fires, one of which was tragic in the Redding area.

One was the Vargas Fire in Fremont that started in the Sunol Grade area and burned 900-1,000 acres of dry, grassy hillsides overlooking the east side of the City of Fremont just north of the Sunol Grade. On a side note: this fire burned a few blocks over from my grandmother's home at the time and she didn't even know what was going on until I called her from Atascadero and told her about what I had heard on KCBS AM-740 which explained the smoke she was smelling.

Another was the Sixteen Fire that began on the west side Rumsey Canyon in the Cache Creek area of Southwest Yolo County.

Diablo Winds drove the fire southward into the northern reaches of Lake Berryessa and ultimately consumed 40,000 acres.

On a side note: does anybody know if the arsonist who used to operate in that area and was recently arrested was ever connected to this fire?

Last but not least was the Jones Fire which began in the Jones Valley area northeast of Redding and ripped southward along the east side of Redding consuming 26,202 acres, 954 structures, including 176 homes, and killed one volunteer firefighter.

Check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters/
And for for further reading check these links:

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/FIRE/CASE/CA991016/cafires1016.html

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/FIRE/CASE/CA991016/nando.html

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Tuesday, October 16, 2007