East Bay Hills Fire (Oakland-Berkely, CA - October 1991) » Previous Fires in the East Bay Hills

The East Bay Hills have been the scene of a number of wildlandurban interface fires over the past 70 years The circumstantial factors surrounding the major incidents have been remarkably similar. The Santa Ana wind condition, preceding periods of unusual dryness, wood shingle roofs, high bum rate natural fuels, lack of separation between the natural fuels and structures, lack of natural fuel controls, poor access, limited water supplies, and difficult terrain have all been recognized as factors in the previous fires.

The most remarkable similarities can be seen from comparisons of the 1923 and 1970 fires with the 1991 fire. All three fires originated in the hills and spread into developed areas, pushed by Diablo winds, and each one continued to spread until the wind abated. The 1923 fire originated in Wildcat Canyon, approximately 2 l/2 miles north of Temescal Canyon, and burned from the hills down into the City of Berkeley “flatlands.” This fire consumed 640 structures to the north of the University of California Berkeley Campus. Wood shingle roofs, the wind, and dry weather were cited as the major factors in this conflagration. Recommendations were made after the fire to limit the use of wood roof coverings and to control the natural fuel conditions in the hills.

The 1970 fire originated on the eastern slope of the hills near Fish Ranch Road, just over the ridge from Temescal Canyon. It spread rapidly up the slope and jumped over Grizzly Peak Boulevard on a front 300 to 400 feet wide. The fire then spread down into Temescal Canyon and subsequently crossed over into the upper parts of Grandview and Claremont Canyons. It was controlled at that point when the wind condition became less severe. The 39 homes that were consumed included virtually all of the homes that existed in the bum area in 1970. All of the homes that were rebuilt in this area were destroyed again in the 1991 fire, along with dozens of additional homes that had been constructed in the intervening years.

The 1970 fire followed virtually the same path as the early stages of the 1991 fire2 and the losses were attributed to exactly the same factors; wind, weather, natural fuels, lack of separation between structures and natural fuels, unlimited use of wood shingles, terrain, access, and water supply were all identified as major factors in both fires. Investigations that followed the 1970 fire recommended regulatory restrictions to mitigate some of the risk factors, but the am was permitted to be rebuilt and additional development was allowed to occur without action on the recommendations.

The 1980 fire also originated in Wildcat Canyon and spread rapidly to involve five homes in the immediate area. The key factors that were identified in this fire were the lack of separation between natural fuels and structures and the unrestricted use of wood shingle roofs. While the wind was a factor in this fire, it was not as strong or persistent as in the other fires, and the fire was successfully contained. This fire underlined the risk factors that are created by the intimate mixture of structures into highly combustible natural fuels and by the use of wood shingle roofs.

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