Tuesday is the one year anniversary of the 2007 wildfires

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Tuesday is the one year anniversary of the 2007 wildfires

Santa Ana winds ignited 23 separate fires that consumed almost 520,000 acres of land

Wildfire Anniversary; Most Victims Still Have Not Rebuilt
Sandiego 6
SAN DIEGO - Tuesday is the one year anniversary of the 2007 wildfires and fewer than 10 percent of the 1,646 homes destroyed in San Diego County last October have been rebuilt.

About 9 percent, or 150, of the homes destroyed by the Witch Creek, Harris, Poomacha, Rice Canyon and Horno fires have been rebuilt in San Diego, Escondido and Poway, as well as on county areas and Indian reservations.

Hundreds more are in the process of being rebuilt, but most property owners are still suffering from the stress of insurance negotiations, finding a reputable contractor and pulling together enough money to replace their homes.

Wildfire recovery officials attribute the pace to the vast number of underinsured homeowners.

"There are people lacking $200,000 to $300,000 to rebuild," said Bonnie Fry, director of the Ramona Fire Recovery Center.

The reconstruction of outbuildings destroyed the fires has also been slow. Of the 1,297 outbuildings destroyed by wildfire last October, 53 have been rebuilt.

The destruction of outbuildings was most devastating to farmers, who used the structures to store supplies and equipment crucial to their livelihoods.

"They did not insure their outbuildings sufficiently because it cost so much to insure their primary residence," Frye said. "We have vineyards and avocado groves and orchards where people lost their crops and lost their trees. It will take another five or seven years for them to recoup."
Story at: http://www.sandiego6.com

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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 21, 2008