Berkeley Hills, CA — 25

lornajarrettblanchard October 20, 1991

–26 Bredeson, Carmen. Fire in Oakland – Billion Dollar Blaze. Enslow Pubs., 1996, p. 10.[1]

–26 National Fire Protection Association. Home Fires with Ten or More Fatalities (website).[2]

–25 Blanchard.[3]

–25 FEMA. Hazard Mitigation Report for the East Bay Fire in the Oakland-Berkeley Hills, p.5.

–25 History.com. This Day in HAistory, Disaster, October 19, 1991. Fire Sweeps through…

–25 National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History [Oct 20, 1991]. 1996.

–25 Oakland Fire Dept. “October 20, 1991 – One of the Worst Fire Disasters in America.”

–25 Oakland Wiki. Firestorm Memorial Garden (webpage). 25 names listed as fatalities.

–25 USFA. The East Bay Hills Fire, Oakland-Berkeley, California (USFA-TR-060)/Oct 1991)

Narrative Information

Bredeson: “On Saturday, October 19, 1991, a brushfire broke out in the heavily wooded hills behind Oakland and neighboring Berkeley, California. Firefighters put out the six-acre blaze in about two hours. They left some hoses at the site in case any hot spots developed later. The next morning, several firefighters returned to the scene of the fire and found a few places where embers still burned just as these small fires were being put out, the wind picked up and started to blow very hard. What happened next started one of the worst fires in California’s history….” [p. 11] “….twenty-six people…lost their lives in the one-day fire….” [p.10] (Bredeson, Carmen. Fire in Oakland – Billion Dollar Blaze. 2009.)AAA

City of Oakland: “Twenty years ago, Oakland faced what was then the worst urban fire disaster in the nation’s history. On October 20, 1991, at 11 am Diablo winds gusting at 65 mph fanned a wildfire that started from an incompletely extinguished grass fire in the Berkeley Hills from the day before and swept through 1600 acres in the Oakland/Berkeley Hills, killing 25 people, injuring 150 people and destroying more than 3000 homes at an estimated economic loss of $1.5 billion. At the fire’s peak, it destroyed one home every 11 seconds. The winds raged for 6 hours and finally died down by 5 pm, but full containment of the fire was not achieved until October 22. As many as 400 engine companies, 1500 personnel and 250 agencies worked to put out the fire.” (City of Oakland. Remember, Honor & Prepare… Oakland/Berkeley Hills Firestorm 20 Years Later. “October 20, 1991 – One of the Worst Fire Disasters in America.”

FEMA Description of the Disaster: “The moisture laden air that normally sweeps eastward from the Pacific Ocean was replaced the week before the fire by winds flowing westward from the Central Valley of California as a large, stationary high-pressure area settled over the Great Basin east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. At the same time, a center of low pressure area stalled offshore. The result was a foehn wind that, at speeds in excess of sixty-five-miles per hour, raced down from the crest of the Oakland-Berkeley Hills. Coupled with record high temperatures well into the nineties, the hot, dry winds gusted and swirled through five years of drought-dry brush and groves of freeze damaged Monterey Pine and Eucalyptus groves. All of the conditions for a major fire disaster were present that morning of October 20, 1991.

“The resultant 1600 acre East Bay Fire (formerly titled as the Tunnel Fire) began under suspicious circumstances. Sunday morning, October 20^th, at approximately 10:53 a.m. near the Caldecott Tunnel and the site of a brush fire brought under containment the previous afternoon (Saturday), embers from an undetermined source were blown into bone-dry brush and onto nearby residential shake roofs by swirling winds of twenty to twenty-five miles per hour. The fire was out of control in a few minutes, jumping an eight lane ‘firebreak’ (Highway 24). In a matter of hours, this major conflagration would leave twenty-five people dead, 150 injured, destroy 3,354 single family dwellings, and 456 apartments, and cause damages in excess of one billion dollars, the most costly urban-wildland fire in the Nation’s history. The conflagration was not officially declared ‘under control’ until 8:00 a.m. Wednesday, October 23, 1991…

“The Alameda County neighborhoods of Claremont, Rockbridge, Grizzly Peak, Broadway Terrace, Montclair, and the City of Piedmont were evacuated during the fire. Adjacent streets and freeways were clogged with residents trying to get out, while sightseers, emergency personnel and fire fighters were trying to get in.

“The 2,000 degree fire affected utility systems including power, gas, telephone, and water. Loss of power early in the fire, caused by burning powerlines and melting underground services, also affected water system pumping plants. A total of eight pumping plants lost power Sunday afternoon. Portable pumps and emergency generators were installed by Sunday evening as soon as the conflagration and the Oakland Fire Department permitted access. Ten waster system reservoirs were drained at the peak of the fire as a result of an unprecedented demand from fire fighting units, fire prevention measures by homeowners, and broken water services connections.

“The fire split into three fingers, north toward the Claremont Hotel, south toward Broadway Terrace, and east toward Orinda. All three fingers of the fire remained out of control through the night and into the morning of October 21^st. By 8:50 a.m. that morning, the eastern finger of the fire was ten percent contained, while the remaining two fingers burned out of control.

“Twenty helicopters and ten air tankers had been called into action since first light, Monday, October 21^st, as 300 law enforcement officers helped to control the flow of personnel and equipment throughout the fire area. Over 370 fire units and 1,000 fire personnel were on line by 1:30 p.m. Monday afternoon.

“Later that same day, cooler temperatures settled in as the reduced winds shifted to the west. At 5:45 p.m., in the early evening of October 21^st, 1991, the conflagration was declared contained with no active head burning. As night approached, fog moved in over the burn area, temperatures fell and humidity increased. Several hot spots were extinguished during the night.

“The East Bay Fire was officially declared under control at 8:00 a.m., Wednesday, October 23, 1991, some seventy hours after its inception.” (pp. 5 & 7)

“Individual Impacts. Over 10,000 people were evacuated from the Oakland-Berkeley Hills communities on October 20^th-21^st. Five American Red Cross (ARC) shelters were established, four n Oakland and one in Berkeley. Approximately 1,300 individuals registered at the shelters, with 450 staying the first night. The last congregate care shelter closed on October 25^th. During the emergency, the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Seventh Day Adventists, and St. Vincent De Paul Society served in excess of 100,000 meals. Refreshments continued to be served at the Disaster Application and ARC Service Centers. By November 11th, the American Red Cross had registered 1,800 households for assistance at their service centers. Relief costs have exceeded $2.4 million, with final costs estimated to top $3 million. The Red Cross and United Way fund campaigns were supported by $3 million in public donations and over 2,000 volunteers assisted at the relief centers.

“Of the 11,055 people living in the fire area, 25 were killed, 150 injured, and at least 5,000 left homeless. The average price of the 3,354 single family dwellings destroyed was $360,000 for a total cost of $1,207,440,000. Four hundred fifty-six apartment units were destroyed. In addition, 2,000 automobiles were destroyed….” (p. 9)

Recommendations

“An estimated 7,000,000 Californians are living in established hillside settlements or in new, rapidly growing communities in urban-wildland areas. These areas are known to be extremely hazardous. The inhabitants of these hazardous areas are at risk of not only losing their homes, but even their lives from wildland fire. It is no longer a question of if a conflagration will occur in these areas, it’s a question of where, when, and how great the losses will be.

“In the opinion of the Hazard Mitigation Survey Team, many California communities have repeatedly failed to effectively recognize the seriousness and extent of their vulnerability to catastrophic wildland fire. Fire Safe Guides for Residential Development in California (Appendix C), formulated by the County Supervisors Association of California (CSAC) and CDF in 1965 (revised in 1980), has been available for twenty-six years to assist and promote the development and adoption of Fire Safe Planning for local jurisdictions. Unfortunately, few local governments have implemented the guidance. Historically, local fire ordinances or general plan safety updates have occurred only after a major wildland fire has caused a significant loss of lives and/or structures.

“The direct relationship between development in California’s wildland areas and destructive conflagrations has been studied and evaluated numerous times. We know the problems, as well as the solutions, yet the potential for catastrophic fires increases every year. California’s communities have a long way to go toward solving the wildland fire problems identified twenty-six years ago when the Fire Safe Guides for Residential Development were first developed….” (p. 13) (FEMA. Hazard Mitigation Report for the East Bay Fire in the Oakland-Berkeley Hills in Response to the October 22, 1991….)

History.com: “On this day in 1991 [Oct 19], a fire begins in the hills of Oakland, California. It went on to burn thousands of homes and kill 25 people. Despite the fact that fires had ravaged the same area three times earlier in the century, people continued to build homes there.

“Fires had previously raged through the hills in 1923, 1970 and 1980. Each time, the fires occurred during autumn in a year with relatively little precipitation, and, each time, the residents rebuilt and moved back in as soon as possible. The deadly 1991 fire can be traced to a small fire at 7151 Buckingham Boulevard on October 18. Firefighters responded quickly and thought they had brought the blaze under control. However, heat from the fire had caused pine needles to fall from the trees and cover the ground.

“When highly flammable debris, also known as “duff,” accumulates on the ground, fires can smolder unseen. At 10:45 a.m. on October 19, strong winds blew one of these unseen fires up a hillside; changing wind patterns then caused it to spread in different directions.

“The winds were so intense and the area was so dry that within an hour close to 800 buildings were on fire. The wind then blew southwest, pushing the fire toward San Francisco Bay. In some places, the temperature reached 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, making it virtually impossible to fight the fire effectively. Homeowners attempted to hose down their roofs, but were often thwarted when water pipes burst from the fire. Also, many homes had wooden shingle roofs that were particularly susceptible to fire–it took only 10 minutes in some cases for a house to be brought down by the flames.

“Firefighting efforts were constrained by the fact that the affected homes were located on steep hills with very narrow streets. This made it difficult to maintain radio communications and to move large fire engines close to the flames. The fire spread so rapidly that firefighters were unable to establish a perimeter. When the fire was finally contained the following day, 25 people had lost their lives, 150 people were injured and 3,000 homes and 1,500 acres had been consumed. The total tally of damages was $1.5 billion.

“In the aftermath, authorities attempted to reduce the likelihood of a similar fire breaking out the in the future. Laws were changed regarding the maximum height of trees permitted and the type of vegetation that was allowable in the area. In addition, most homes that have been rebuilt do not have wooden roofs.” (History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, October 19, 1991. Fire Sweeps through Oakland Hills.”)

NFPA Home Fires page: 25 civilians and 1 firefighter.

Ukiah Daily Journal, Oct 21: “Oakland – Firefighters announced today that they had contained a ferocious firestorm that swept through the dry hills above Oakland and Berkeley and destroyed at least 380 homes. At least 10 people were reported killed and damage was put at $1.5 billion. Oakland Fire Chief Phillip Ewell made the announcement at a news conference at about 9 a.m. He said officials expected the 1,700-acre blaze, which began Sunday morning, to be controlled by evening. A parade of fire engines cruised through the eerie, blackened area overlooking San Francisco Bay, extinguishing hot spots as isolated flames continued to poke into the sky….” (Ukiah Daily Journal, CA. “Oakland Firestorm – Hundreds of Homes Gone…” 21 Oct 1991.)

USFA Overview of the Fire: “The largest dollar fire loss in United States history occurred in the East Bay Hills, within the California cities of Oakland and Berkeley, between October 19 and 22, 1991. Twenty-five lives were lost and more than 3,000 structures were destroyed by a wildland-urban interface fire in one of the most heavily populated metropolitan areas of the North American continent. The fire completely overwhelmed the firefighting forces of the area, consuming everything in its path, and was only stopped when the Diablo wind conditions abated. The wind had threatened to drive the fire across the entire city of Oakland. [p.1]

“The factors that set the stage for this disaster were identified long before the fire occurred, and the potential consequences had been predicted by fire officials. Nevertheless, their warnings went unheeded, and the measures that could have reduced the risks were not implemented. More than one billion dollars in damage resulted from a fire that exceeded the worst expectations in the most concerned fire professionals. It was a fire that demonstrates how natural forces may be beyond the control of human intervention and should cause a renewed look at the risk of wildland-urban interface fire disasters….” [p.2] (USFA/J. Gordon Routley, investigator. The East Bay Hills Fire, Oakland-Berkeley, California (USFA-TR-060)/Oct 1991).)

Sources

Bredeson, Carmen. Fire in Oakland – Billion Dollar Blaze. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 1999.

City of Oakland. Remember, Honor & Prepare for a Fire Safe Future. Oakland/Berkeley Hills Firestorm 20 Years Later. “October 20, 1991 – One of the Worst Fire Disasters in America.” Accessed 4-16-2016 at: http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Residents/OAK030313

Federal Emergency Management Agency. Hazard Mitigation Report for the East Bay Fire in the Oakland-Berkeley Hills in Response to the October 22, 1991 Federal Disaster Declaration Covering Alameda County, California (FEMA-919-DR-CA). San Francisco, CA: GSA Printing, 1992.

History.com. This Day in History, Disaster, October 19, 1991. “Fire Sweeps through Oakland Hills.” Accessed 12-8-2008 at: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&displayDate=10/19&categoryId=disaster

National Fire Protection Association. Home Fires with Ten or More Fatalities (website). NFPA, copyright 1016. Accessed 4-15-2016 at: http://www.nfpa.org:80/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=953&itemID=30981&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fire%20statistics/The%20U.S.%20fire%20problem

National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996. Accessed 2010 at: http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1352&itemID=30955&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fire%20statistics/Key%20dates%20in%20fire%20history&cookie%5Ftest=1

Oakland Wiki. Firestorm Memorial Garden (webpage). Accessed 4-16-2016 at: https://localwiki.org/oakland/Firestorm_Memorial_Garden

United States Fire Administration (J. Gordon Routley, investigator). The East Bay Hills Fire, Oakland-Berkeley, California (USFA-TR-060)/Oct 1991). Emmitsburg, MD: National Fire Data Center, USFA, FEMA, U. S. Department of Homeland Security, web version modified 2-5-2008. Accessed 4-15-2016 at: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/tr-060.pdf

[1] There is no source citation for 26 fatalities.

[2] Notes 25 civilian and one firefighter death. It is to be noted that another webpage (Key Dates in Fire History) on the same website notes twenty-five deaths.

[3] Though we cite two sources citing 26 fatalities, the other sources we cite, as well as others consulted, but not cited, note 25 deaths, including the Oakland Memorial Gardens webpage which identifies by name 25 fatalities.