Wolf Fire

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Coordinates: 34°36′32″N 119°21′54″W / 34.609°N 119.365°W / 34.609; -119.365
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Wolf Fire
A satellite picture of the fire from directly overhead shows a round, brown cloud of smoke with a white pyrocumulus cloud bubbling in its center, surrounded by rugged mountains
The Wolf Fire's smoke plume, taken by NASA's Terra satellite on June 6, 2002
Date(s)
  • June 1, 2002 (2002-06-01) –
  • June 14, 2002 (2002-06-14)
  • (14 days)
LocationVentura County, California, United States
Coordinates34°36′32″N 119°21′54″W / 34.609°N 119.365°W / 34.609; -119.365
Statistics
Burned area21,645 acres (8,759 ha; 34 sq mi; 88 km2)
Impacts
Non-fatal injuries4
Structures destroyed6
Damage
  • $15 million
  • (equivalent to about $24.3 million in 2023)
Ignition
CauseFirearms
Map
A map shows the Wolf Fireas an orange shape (a thin finger along Highway 33 that broadens abruptly to the east), lying entirely within national forest lands north of Ojai
The footprint of the Wolf Fire in the Los Padres National Forest north of Ojai, California
A flame icon marks the location of the Wolf Fire in Southern California, not far from the coast
A flame icon marks the location of the Wolf Fire in Southern California, not far from the coast
The general location of the Wolf Fire in Ventura County, California

The Wolf Fire was a large wildfire in Southern California's Ventura County, north of the city of Ojai, in June of 2002. The fire was ignited on June 1 by the careless use of firearms for target shooting in dry grass and burned 21,645 acres (8,759 hectares), destroying six structures before it was completely contained on June 14. The cost of containing the fire came to $15 million. No fatalities or serious injuries occurred, but the fire impacted large parts of the Sespe Wilderness and the Los Padres National Forest, causing road and campground closures while threatening Native American cultural sites and wildlife habitat.

Background[edit]

Southern California received very little rain in the winter and spring leading up to the Wolf Fire, marking a fourth year of drought there. Vegetation moisture levels were very low and fire activity was consequently elevated. It became one of the earliest fire seasons in decades[1]—fire officials declared the beginning of fire season in mid-April in much of Southern California, including Ventura County, a month before the usual date.[2][3] The Wolf Fire eventually became the sixth largest of the 2002 California wildfire season, in which 8,171 wildfires burned a total of 538,216 acres (217,808 ha).[4][5]

The fire danger in the Los Padres National Forest in 2002 was heightened by the lack of prescribed burning to thin out vegetation: a shortfall in congressional funding meant that only ~5,000 acres (2,000 ha) of the hoped-for annual 20,000–25,000 acres (8,100–10,100 ha) was burned in prescribed fires.[6] The last large wildfire in the area of the Wolf Fire was the Matilija Fire in 1932, which burned more than 200,000 acres (81,000 ha) and informed fire crews' understanding of the Wolf Fire's growth potential.[7]

Cause[edit]

The Wolf Fire began shortly before 3:00 p.m. PDT on June 1, approximately 100 feet (30 m) from the Wolf Grill restaurant, an establishment located on California State Route 33 roughly 12 miles (19 km) north of Ojai in the Los Padres National Forest. U.S. Forest Service investigators later determined, bolstered by the eyewitness accounts of members of a bicycling tour group, that the fire was ignited unintentionally by people shooting at an abandoned van in dry grass and brush adjacent to the restaurant. No suspects were identified or arrests made.[8]

Progression[edit]

As soon as the fire broke out, patrons at the bar attempted to alert authorities by phone, but were unable to for lack of any cellular service in the area. A motorcyclist eventually alerted fire crews at a Forest Service fire station twenty minutes' drive north, but they did not arrive at the scene of the fire until forty minutes after it had ignited.[9]

The fire, originating in the main stem of the Sespe Creek drainage and benefiting from warm, dry, and breezy conditions, entered dense chaparral vegetation in rugged terrain and grew quickly.[10][11] Despite the efforts of seven aircraft (air tankers and helicopters) and ground crews, what had been roughly a 30-acre (12 ha) fire at 3:00 p.m. expanded to 200 acres (81 ha) by 5:00 p.m. and 450 acres (180 ha) by 9:00 pm. At one point, the fire jumped across Highway 33 and forced officials to close the highway between Rose Valley and Pine Mountain Summit. No evacuation orders were issued.[10]

That portion of Highway 33 remained closed on Sunday, June 2 as the Wolf Fire moved east along the highway between Pine Mountain and Chorro Grande Canyon. Embers carried the fire across Highway 33 at 11:00 am. As the fire progressed it destroyed three abandoned horseback camping buildings. By the end of the day the fire had burned approximately 2,500 acres (1,000 ha) and it was five percent contained. A spokesman cautioned that the fire had "extreme" potential for growth and that firefighters did not think they could contain the fire in Chorro Grande Canyon with their available resources, but that they hoped to keep it out of the Matilija Wilderness and Sespe Wilderness to the south and east respectively.[3]

On Monday, June 3, the fire entered the Sespe Wilderness. Winds out of both the southeast and northeast encouraged spot fires. The 18-mile (29 km) portion of Highway 33 remained closed between Rose Valley and Lockwood Valley. Firefighters retained a defensive footing, noting that they could not get in front of the fire even as they planned to keep it within a box bounded by Cherry Creek and Pipeline Road to the west, Dry Lakes Ridge and Rose Valley Road to the south, Sycamore Creek to the east, and Pine Mountain Ridge to the north.[12]

On Tuesday, June 4, the fire expanded to about 7,500 acres (3,000 ha) with 15 percent containment after burning north through the Derrydale Creek drainage. Firefighters struggled through temperatures of 90 °F and a relative humidity of under ten percent, which in combination with the dry vegetation led to flame heights of 100–300 feet (30–91 m).[1][13]

The incident management team (IMT) assigned to the Wolf Fire (in this case, California IMT 4)[14] established a main camp in Soule Park in Ojai itself, supplied with bathroom facilities, a kitchen, and tents, from which to manage the multi-agency fire suppression effort. From there, many firefighters were flown in to the remote flanks of the fire, and others made do by hiking in several miles on foot. Many personnel worked shifts of more than 30 hours at a time in hot, windy weather.[15] The geographic information system (GIS) and mapping unit went though 300–400 feet (91–122 m) of paper per day. Fire officials told the Ventura County Board of supervisors to expect the fire to burn for another week, and the director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) noted that the Wolf Fire was low on the priority list for firefighting resources, given the lack of a significant threat to life and private property.[13] Despite this, at the peak of the fire more than two dozen aircraft—both fixed-wing and helicopters—were used to drop water and fire retardant.[16]

On Wednesday, June 5, the fire burned northeast towards and then along Pine Mountain Ridge.[17] As the fire neared the Sespe Condor Sanctuary, special permission was granted for bulldozers to operate in the Sespe Wilderness where such heavy machinery is normally prohibited by federal regulations. Firefighters used the opportunity to construct a 6–10-mile (9.7–16.1 km) containment line on the southern end of the wilderness area, between the fire and the sanctuary. By the end of the day the Wolf Fire had burned more than 10,000 acres (4,000 ha) and remained 15 percent contained.[18][19] Then, overnight, the fire ran hard to the east. It traveled about six miles (9.7 km) through the Sespe Wilderness, roughly doubling in size to just shy of 20,000 acres (8,100 ha).[20] This made it the second largest active wildfire in the state, just behind the nearby Copper Fire in Los Angeles County.[21]

On June 6 the fire continued to grow aggressively to the northeast via long-range ember spotting, while crews focused on containment lines for the fire's northwestern and southern flanks.[22]

Beginning on Friday, June 7, the weather became less conducive to fire growth: the higher temperatures and winds abated, and moisture from the nearby marine layer made its way to the Wolf Fire.[15][23] The fire's forward progression slowed, and by sunset fire officials were calling the fire 25 percent contained.[24] Air tankers continued to drop water or fire retardant, basing out of Lancaster and Goleta.[21] Between June 8 and June 9, the fire grew by only 55 acres (22 ha). Firefighters succeeded in keeping the fire south of Pine Mountain Ridge and north of Sespe Creek, minimizing the threat to more developed areas.[23] Four hundred firefighters rappelled in to an inaccessible part of the fire on the northern slope of Pine Mountain Ridge, spending multiple days completing containment lines there with hand tools. One battalion chief with the San Bernardino National Forest opined that but for the change in the weather, the Wolf Fire could have burned to Interstate 5 to the east.[18]

Late on Monday, June 11, the fire had burned approximately 21,300 acres (8,600 ha) and was 60 percent contained. Hundreds of firefighters were released from their assignments as the number of personnel ticked down from 2,000 to about 1,100.[18] Containment increased to 85 percent on June 12,[25] then 90 percent on June 13. The last portion of open fire line was at the fire's northeastern corner near Thorn Point.[26] The Wolf Fire was declared fully contained at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, June 14, 2002.[4][27] Three helicopters were retained to monitor the fire over the weekend in case of any re-ignition.[27] The cost of containing the fire amounted to $15 million, or roughly equivalent to $24.3 million in 2023.[8]

The Wolf Fire burn footprint later acted as a barrier to the spread of the 162,702-acre (65,843 ha) Day Fire in 2006.[28]

Effects[edit]

Four firefighters were injured. Three suffered from heat exhaustion and/or dehydration[21]—two of whom were taken to the hospital on June 4[17]—and one suffered a bee sting.[21] Firefighters discovered a body in a remote area on June 12, towards the end of fire containment operations, but it was confirmed as that of a suicide victim prior to the fire.[16]

The Wolf Fire destroyed six structures,[4] four of which were unoccupied ranch buildings,[1] and two of which were outbuildings for a vacation home.[17] The Wolf Grill restaurant itself was not damaged in the fire.[10]

The entire Sespe Wilderness was closed,[18] as were multiple campgrounds, including those in the Pine Mountain and Rose Valley regions.[12] Four hikers who, while not in distress, might have been in the fire's path, were rescued by the Ventura County Sheriff's Department on the morning of June 7.[21] Highway 33 re-opened on June 6.[29] Large portions of the Los Padres National Forest closure order were rescinded on July 5, re-opening all national forest lands north of Sespe Creek to Pine Mountain Ridge, and west of Highway 33/Burro Creek to Trout Creek.[30]

Cultural resource impacts[edit]

The Wolf Fire threatened more than 200 petroglyphs or pictographs, as well as other artifacts, left behind by the Chumash native people more than five thousand years before the fire.[20] Forest Service archeologists conducted multi-week surveys in the month following the fire, assessing damage (and the degree of vulnerability to looting) at both known and previously unknown Native sites. The chief archeologist for the Los Padres National Forest told the Los Angeles Times that at least some "ancient rock art [which included] depictions of day-to-day life among the Chumash" had been damaged by smoke or soot.[31]

In October following the fire, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), a national watchdog nonprofit organization, published a white paper written by "former cultural resources staff and volunteers" with the Los Padres National Forest. The PEER report alleged that "the fire and bulldozed fire lines severely damaged known prehistoric sites", including the Piedra Blanca rock art site, and that fire personnel and archaeologists had not taken adequate care to avoid damaging sites during fire break construction or forestall fire/smoke damage at them by installing protective measures.[32] The allegations were part of a wider denouncement of Los Padres National Forest leadership, and received coverage in the Los Angeles Times.[33][34] A state and federal interagency team reviewed the PEER report's allegations in a report of their own the following spring and professed to find the allegations—including those regarding the Wolf Fire—without merit.[35]

Environmental impacts[edit]

The forest coordinator for the Los Padres National Forest referred to the deleterious effects of the Wolf Fire on the environment as "minimal", noted the natural role that fires play in regenerating the landscape. The Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation (BAER) team assigned to the fire found little risk of dangerous flooding or debris flows in the Sespe Creek watershed barring extraordinarily heavy rainfall. Nonetheless, the BAER team and fire crews performed erosion mitigation work, repaired/installed rain and stream gauges, and restored containment lines.[6]

Forest Service biologists were also concerned about the fire's impacts on habitat for the arroyo toad and southern steelhead trout species populations in addition to the Condor Sanctuary.[20] The Wolf Fire burned 12 percent of the entire Sespe Creek watershed.[36] The fire was of sufficient severity to be stand-replacing in upland chamise-manzanita stands as well as adjacent white alder-coast live oak stands in the Piedra Blanca Creek drainage.[11]

The fire burned at a high enough elevation that smoke did not infiltrate local communities, though ash from the fire drifted southeast and reached the coast and Simi Valley.[29]

Growth and containment[edit]

Fire containment status Gray: contained; Red: active; %: percent contained;
Date Area burned in acres (ha) Personnel Containment
June 1[10] 450 acres (182 ha) ...
0%
June 2[3][37] 2,500 acres (1,012 ha) 914 personnel
5%
June 3[12][38] 5,930 acres (2,400 ha) 1,153 personnel
10%
June 4[13][39] 7,476 acres (3,025 ha) 1,234 personnel
15%
June 5[19][40] 10,644 acres (4,307 ha) 1,670 personnel
15%
June 6[29] 19,788 acres (8,008 ha) ...
15%
June 7[21] 20,795 acres (8,415 ha) 1,753 personnel
25%
June 8[23] 20,795 acres (8,415 ha) ...
40%
June 9[23] 20,850 acres (8,438 ha) >1,500 personnel
40%
June 10[41] 21,278 acres (8,611 ha) ...
60%
June 11[18] 21,278 acres (8,611 ha) 1,100 personnel
60%
June 12[25] 21,278 acres (8,611 ha) >1,200 personnel
85%
June 13[26] 21,645 acres (8,759 ha) ...
90%
June 14[27] 21,645 acres (8,759 ha) 300 personnel
100%

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Hughes, Timothy; Malnic, Eric (June 5, 2002). "Firefighters Try to Tame 5 Wildfires". Los Angeles Times. Contributions by Jessica Garrison and the Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  2. ^ Chawkins, Steve (June 9, 2002). "Signs Point to a Dangerous Fire Season". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Levin, Charles (June 3, 2002). "Wildfire rages above Ojai: 2,500-acre Wolf blaze destroys 3 structures". Ventura County Star. pp. A1, A6. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c "2002 Large Fires" (PDF). California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). February 11, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 8, 2017.
  5. ^ "California Wildfires and Acres for all Jurisdictions" (PDF). California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). August 24, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Cavanaugh, Andrea (July 1, 2002). "BAER team to evaluate Wolf fire damage". Ventura County Star. p. A6. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Jorrey, Kyle (June 13, 2002). "Techies are key to fighting fires: Specialists provide crucial maps". Ventura County Star. p. B1. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b Hughes, Timothy (August 3, 2002). "22,000-Acre Blaze Near Ojai Blamed on Gunfire". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  9. ^ Hughes, Timothy (June 30, 2002). "Calling for Help in Wildfire Country". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d "Fire closes Highway 33 at Ojai". Ventura County Star. June 2, 2002. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b Bendix, Jacob; Cowell, C. Mark (January 1, 2010). "Impacts of Wildfire on the Composition and Structure of Riparian Forests in Southern California". Ecosystems. 13 (1): 99–107. doi:10.1007/s10021-009-9303-z. ISSN 1435-0629.
  12. ^ a b c Levin, Charles (June 4, 2002). "Backcountry inferno grows to 6,000 acres". Ventura County Star. pp. A1, A6. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b c Wilson, Kathleen; Cavanaugh, Andrea (June 5, 2002). "Wolf fire grows steadily; control days away". Ventura County Star. pp. A1, A8. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  14. ^ Hughes, Timothy (June 14, 2002). "Fire Team Boss Proves He Can Take the Heat". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Covarrubias, Amanda; Gaona, Elena (June 8, 2002). "Marine Air Slows Advance of the Wolf Fire". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Wolf fire to be contained, still not controlled". Ventura County Star. June 15, 2002. p. B3. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ a b c Cavanaugh, Andrea (June 6, 2002). "Wildfire spreads eastward: Los Padres blaze at 10,650 acres, but still only 15 percent contained". Ventura County Star. p. B2. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ a b c d e Hughes, Timothy (June 11, 2002). "Cooler Weather Helps Slow Wolf Fire". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Hughes, Timothy; Chambers, Carol (June 6, 2002). "Saugus Blaze Threatens Homes". Los Angeles Times. p. B6. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ a b c Hughes, Timothy (June 7, 2002). "No Signs of Fire Slowing". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  21. ^ a b c d e f Sullivan, T.J. (June 8, 2002). "Weather aids firefighters: Wolf fire now 20,795 acres, 25% contained". Ventura County Star. pp. B1, B2. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  22. ^ "NPS Morning Report – Friday, June 7, 2002". npshistory.com. June 7, 2002. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  23. ^ a b c d Ragland, Jenifer (June 10, 2002). "Firefighters Hold the Line on Ojai Blaze". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  24. ^ Fausset, Richard; Covarrubias, Amanda (June 8, 2002). "Winds Hinder Relief Efforts". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  25. ^ a b "Wolf Fire Reaches 85% Containment". Los Angeles Times. June 13, 2002. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  26. ^ a b Mitchell, John (June 14, 2002). "Wolf fire crew discovers body, possibly a suicide". Ventura County Star. p. B3. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ a b c Wolcott, Holly J. (June 15, 2002). "21,600 Acres Later, Wildfire Near Ojai Totally Contained". Los Angeles Times. pp. B3. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ Henson, Carol (August 1, 2007). An Assessment of the Effects of Fuel Treatments and Previous Wildfires on Fire Behavior and Suppression for the Day and Zaca Fires on the Los Padres National Forest (PDF) (Report). United States Forest Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2024 – via www.fs.usda.gov.
  29. ^ a b c Miller, Aron (June 7, 2002). "Smoke staying high even as ash rains down". Ventura County Star. pp. A1, A10. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  30. ^ "Portions of Los Padres re-opened". Santa Maria Times. July 2, 2002. p. A3. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ Hughes, Timothy (June 23, 2002). "Chumash Sites Exposed to New Risks". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  32. ^ "Ruined Relics: Crumbling Cultural Resource Protection In Los Padres National Forest" (PDF). Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). October 2002. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 25, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  33. ^ Kelly, David (October 9, 2002). "Report Alleges Neglect by Forest Official". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  34. ^ Kelly, David (October 9, 2002). "Los Padres Neglectful, Report Says". Los Angeles Times. pp. B1, B10. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. ^ Findings of the Interagency Review Team Regarding PEER White Paper Number Thirty-five, "Ruined Relics—Crumbling Cultural Resource Protection In Los Padres National Forest" (PDF) (Report). March 7, 2003. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 19, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).
  36. ^ Aquatic Species Assessment for the Sespe Creek Watershed (PDF) (Report). Stillwater Sciences. August 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024 – via www.fs.usda.gov.
  37. ^ "NPS Morning Report – Monday, June 3, 2002". npshistory.com. June 3, 2002. Archived from the original on April 8, 2024. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  38. ^ "NPS Morning Report – Tuesday, June 4, 2002". npshistory.com. June 4, 2002. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  39. ^ "NPS Morning Report – Wednesday, June 5, 2002". npshistory.com. June 5, 2002. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  40. ^ "NPS Morning Report – Thursday, June 6, 2002". npshistory.com. June 6, 2002. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  41. ^ Mitchell, John (June 11, 2002). "Business brisk as blaze winds down". Ventura County Star. p. B3. Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
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