Orange County and California must learn from the wildfires and decades of government failure in Los Angeles County. The Pacific Palisades and Eaton Fires fires are estimated to have destroyed more than 5,000 structures in the Palisades and 7,000 structures in the Eaton fire, at least 27 fatalities, and preliminary costs between $45 billion and $275 billion. Could they happen in Orange County, which communities are most at risk, and what can be done to mitigate disaster?
Analysis of the fires in Los Angeles County reveals several trends. First the City of Los Angeles performed no brush removal to mitigate the threat of wildfires in almost 50 years above Pacific Palisades, and Los Angeles County and U.S. Forest Service for over 30 years in Eaton Canyon. Only a week after the fires, did CalFire and CalTrans begin emergency brush clearance and setbacks in Santa Monica along Pacific Coast Highway and Eaton Canyon.
The same problem exists everywhere, especially in older built-up communities, and hard to access areas that have not burned or been maintained in decades. They also typically have independent fire departments, lack the inherent experience of the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD), or a larger county fire department that handles wildfires more frequently, and stronger code enforcement for brush clearance and setbacks. Most homes don’t meet current fire building requirements, and water storage is insufficient for large urban fires, compounded by terrain and limited access roads.
Orange County shares some of these risks, although lower than Los Angeles. Most of the “Fire Hazard Severity Zone” is served by the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA). Outside of Santiago and Silverado Canyons and communities that experience frequent fires such as the foothills, most are newer and better prepared for wildfires. That is less true for Brea, Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, which are served by independent fire departments. Fullerton, Anaheim, and Orange are not within the fire hazard zone, although they exhibit many risk factors. La Habra is mostly urban and currently served by LACoFD.
In the Anaheim Hills, for example the Oak Canyon Nature Center below the Walnut Canyon Reservoir, trees reach into neighborhoods and many homes have no setbacks. Trees, especially eucalyptus, should be thinned out.
In Orange, Santiago Creek above Villa Park and Santiago Canyon Roads is overgrown, with wild invasive species such as palm trees, with dead frond leaves. This is common in Southern California for creeks that are not used for flood control. Most of Orange County’s waterways were restored or cleared during the 2000s and 2010s because they are overseen by the federal Army Corps of Engineers.
In Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, recent fires near Newport Coast and Aliso Creek show what Crystal Cove State Park naturally looks like after less than ten years of growth. However, the majority of Crystal Cove last burned in the 1993 Laguna Fire. While Laguna Beach is relatively proactive in clearing brush and setbacks, most homes are older, and Laguna should reconsider if its water resources are sufficient for a large urban fire, and whether there need to be retrofits to buildings.
Lastly, the Cleveland National Forest around Ortega Highway has areas that haven’t burned in 30 to 40 years. While relatively unpopulated, resources would be better spent managing the area, before a large wildfire ignites.
Orange County cannot assume another department or government will answer these questions, and solve these problems. Does vegetation need to be removed? Do homes have sufficient setbacks? Are there enough water resources? Which homes are most at risk and should they be retrofitted to better withstand fires? Does the Orange County Fire Authority have more experience and leadership fighting wildfires than smaller independent departments? Does there need to be better interagency planning, coordination, or formal agreements?
Wildfires are endemic to California and natives used fire to shape the land. Fire risk communities, including those who removed themselves from the fire hazard severity zone, should assess their threat and resources and learn from the government failure in Los Angeles County.
Matt Quan has a Master of Public Policy from the University of Southern California and is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine.
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