The 1970 fire occurred during a period of eight days in which three
major wildland-urban interface fires occurred in California. During a 60
day fire season in that year, 1,260 fires burned 600,000 acres, destroyed 885
homes, claimed 14 lives, and caused an estimated $233,000,000 in damage
along the California coast.
The Bel-Air Fire, in November of 1961, destroyed 537 structures in
the Santa Monica Mountains, in the City of Los Angeles. This fire was preceded by the Laurel Canyon Fire in July of 1959 which destroyed 38
homes. Several major investigation and analysis projects were
conducted after these fires and were consistent in their warnings and
recommendations. In each of the previous cases the wood roof and
separation from natural fuels problems were emphasized.
In 1990, the Paint fire in Santa Barbara County involved 430
structures and caused one death. This was the largest loss of structures
since the Bel-Air Fire and reminded public officials along the California
coast of their extreme vulnerability to interface fires, particularly in view of
the ongoing drought conditions. As the drought continued into 1991, fire
officials were extremely concerned with the risk of one or more major fires
that could have even more devastating results than any of the previous
fires, particularly if the Santa Ana winds made their anticipated appearance
during the period from September to November.
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