The Fire Next Time

Where there are forests and brush there will be fires. This is nature’s law, driven by the imperative for periodic renewal. California knows this law well. The problem is that Californians all too often scoff at it. Then there is avoidable destruction, tragedy, sometimes massive economic loss.

In 1970 a brush fire swept through the Berkeley Hills above Oakland, destroying 37 homes. In the wake of that disaster came a report warning that it could happen again, with perhaps worse results. It recommended a campaign to clear the hills of brush near homes. It called for removing eucalyptus trees, which can burn like torches. It said the roofs of home should be swept of pine needles, a potent fuel for fires.

For a while, attention was paid. But as memories of the 1970 fire faded, these preventive measures fell into neglect. Meanwhile, as retired Oakland Fire Chief Godwin Taylor noted in an interview, city officials permitted an increasing number of homes--most with shake roofs--to be built in heavily wooded canyon areas where narrow roads impeded the movement of firefighting equipment.

The penalty for forgetfulness and negligence was assessed this past week, in what will be one of the costliest fires America has known.

It can happen again. It is virtually certain to happen again in California, in areas where homes abut brush and woods. What can be done to mitigate the damage and the misery? Plenty.

Begin by having governments ban shake roofs in all fire-endangered areas--they invite disaster--and mandate brush clearance around homes. If homeowners refuse to pay for the clearance work, government should do so and put the cost on homeowners’ tax bills. Hill and canyon dwellers should also be required to plant fire-resistant vegetation. These measures won’t stop brush and forest fires. But they could help significantly to reduce the loss of property and lives. The Berkeley Hills inferno has been yet another warning. This time let it be taken seriously.