Lessons of ’91 Fires Key in East Bay Disaster Planning

As firefighters begin to contain more than 15 blazes in Southern California, local fire officials say a similar disaster is possible in the East Bay­—even after stepping up preventive measures in the wake of the Berkeley and Oakland Hills fire of 1991.

That fire resulted in the loss of more than 25 lives and 3,500 structures. In response, Berkeley officials became considerably more aggressive when responding to fires and creating preventive plans.

“Before 1991, a reported fire ... like a grass fire might get a minimal response (from) a single engine company,” said Deputy Fire Chief David Orth. “But today, depending where you are, about 10-15 engines will respond and an aircraft helicopter might be starting its engine or even be airborne.”

The 1991 disaster led to an emphasis on emergency management, said Tom Klatt, manager of UC Berkeley’s Office of Emergency Preparedness.

After the fire, the Standardized Emergency Management System was created, requiring all state and public agencies to adopt an emergency framework, he said.

In addition, The Hills Emergency Forum, a joint working group of agencies from East Bay cities and the UC Berkeley campus, formed to create more preventive measures.

“The important thing about (the forum) is to have the memory of that fire alive and not get lazy,” said Steve Abbors, the manager of watershed and recreation for the East Bay Municipal Utility District. “We need to continue to be vigilant every year. The cost for being safe here is annual vigilance.”

The agency and Berkeley community members continue to manage vegetation, implement city codes to make buildings more fire resistant, and encourage homeowners to replace wooden roofs with asphalt shingles, Orth said.

UC Berkeley officials decided on Oct. 3 to clear more than 23,000 eucalyptus trees to prevent fires from spreading in the Strawberry Canyon area near Memorial Stadium.

“(The 1991 fire) was very close to home and we’ve been acutely aware of vegetation management concerns in parallel of the overarching goals of emergency management system,” Klatt said.

While the ongoing fires in Southern California have again brought prevention measures into focus, officials said environmental conditions and development differ in the two regions.

Weather conditions have made Southern California more susceptible to fires during this year’s fire season than the Bay Area, Klatt said.

The Diablo winds in Northern California tend to be less severe than the Santa Ana winds that contributed to the raging fires in Southern California. Northern California’s winds contribute to fires that spread rapidly but can be contained within a day, he said.

However, the Berkeley and Oakland Hills have a greater housing density than most areas in Southern California, so when a large-scale fire occurs, more structures are lost, Klatt said.

Oakland Hills resident Richard Kaufmann has organized volunteer efforts since the 1991 fire to clear the canyon of flammable debris to prevent another fire from getting out of control.

“Our efforts began long before the Southern California fires (this month),” Kaufmann said. “What sparked my interest was the 1991 fires and not wanting to have that happen again. Who wants to live in a home when you live in a fire-prone area?”

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