My first and only up close and personnel experience with fire occurred in 2003 with the Cedar Fire in Southern California. I was staying at my brothers house in Julian, CA in the Cuyamaca Mountains. As the fire got closer, we were evacuated from the town. It was a completely helpless feeling watching the news each day. The fire chief who was in charge of the area came out and said that due to the weather and fuels conditions, it would be impossible to protect the town. We also figured that there was no hope after the town of Cuyamaca was almost completely destroyed, since it was only about 10 miles away. The house ended up being damaged but not completely burned down. A lot of possessions were able to be saved.
The investigation determined that a lost hunter had set the fire in hopes of getting rescued. 15 people died and over 2,800 structures were destroyed.
Some of the other causes that I did not understand until I started my studies included the amount of fuels that existed. Due to the lack of surface fires and fuels buildup, many fires turn into crown fires destroying the stands. In addition to the fuels loading, the dry climate was another big factor.
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