Agencies Scolded in N. California Blaze

A panel that has been investigating last July’s disastrous fire near Woodfords, Calif., concluded Tuesday that the initial attack effort was appropriate, but that the various fire agencies involved need to talk to each other more.

The fire in Acorn Canyon blackened 6,500 acres and destroyed two dozen homes. The flames came dangerously close to sweeping through the small community of Woodfords.

Before the fire was out, area residents, including people who lost their homes, were complaining bitterly that the initial blaze could have been stopped by volunteer firefighters but that volunteers were ordered to step aside so Forest Service crews could take over.

The investigating panel, including Alpine Supervisor Donald Jardine, agreed that fighting the fire was the job of the Forest Service, whose crews are better trained to battle such blazes.

However, the report said that as more and more areas of California and Nevada become a mixture of wilderness and urban development, firefighters will require new training, different types of equipment, better communications and multi-agency coordination.

The report criticized Alpine County for not having completed its disaster plan and for having no formal agreement among fire agencies.

“Joint training is not consistent and mutual roles are not understood,” the report said.

It went on to say, “The working relationships in Alpine County between local and federal agencies . . . were less than totally effective in managing the Acorn fire.”

The panel recommended that the county and federal agencies develop a cooperative fire protection plan and that the county adopt a disaster plan that specifies the need for a countywide fire protection agreement involving the four volunteer departments, the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

The report also called for joint training of fire crews from the county and the federal agencies and a public awareness program for homeowners to help them cut losses in the event of another fire, such as clearing away brush near their homes and not piling firewood close to structures.