October Has Long Been Haunted by Fire, Winds

The firestorm that destroyed or damaged 26 homes in upscale Lemon Heights on Monday brought back searing memories of the Laguna Beach fires almost exactly three years ago, which remain the most destructive in Orange County history.

Like Laguna’s, Monday’s blaze started in brush off a roadway and the ensuing fires, driven by Santa Ana winds, engulfed and destroyed some homes even though firefighters were quick to arrive at the scene.

Fire officials said that Monday’s fire started along La Loma Drive, near Bent Tree Lane, and that 10 homes were destroyed and 16 damaged before being brought under control a few hours after it started.

There were no injuries among the hapless homeowners, but three firefighters had to be treated for minor injuries and smoke inhalation.

The fire was reminiscent of previous October firestorms that have burned across the county, fueled by bone-dry brush and fierce Santa Ana winds.

The most devastating in terms of sheer destructive damage was the Oct. 27, 1993, Laguna Beach fire, which destroyed or damaged 441 homes at a cost of $528 million.

Incredibly, there were no deaths attributed to the Laguna Beach blaze, which authorities said was started in dry brush along Laguna Canyon Road by an arsonist who was never caught.

A wind-driven wall of flame swept across Laguna Beach’s parched hills, darkening the skies and scorching neighborhoods. Surrounding communities were also affected, and authorities ordered the evacuation of the town’s 24,000 residents, some of whom fled so quickly that they discovered later they were wearing mismatched shoes.

Coast Highway was closed both north and south of Laguna Beach for more than a day, as authorities struggled to bring in emergency equipment and stop frantic residents from returning in sometimes futile attempts to save their homes.

Arson investigators ruled out the possibility of an accidental blaze, because the fire began more than 80 feet off Laguna Canyon Road. Although they pinpointed the origin of the fire, authorities could only guess at how the fire was sparked, because they found few physical clues.

Firefighters who responded to the Laguna Beach fire had to battle hot Santa Ana winds, which were blowing 78 mph and sent flames leaping over hills and tumbling into the canyons. On Monday, winds gusts were clocked at 79 mph during the Lemon Heights fire.

Fourteen years ago this month, some Orange County residents were dodging another disastrous fire that began in Gypsum Canyon and spread rapidly westward into Anaheim Hills, Villa Park, Orange and Peters Canyon, causing more than $11 million in damage.

The Oct. 9, 1982, fire began after strong winds blew down a power line that ignited dry brush. A total of 17 homes were destroyed by the blaze, 12 of them in Crest de Ville, one of Orange’s wealthiest neighborhoods.

The Gypsum Canyon blaze was the second fire disaster that plagued Orange County that year. On April 21, 1982, 60-mph Santa Ana winds sparked a tree fire in Anaheim that spread to a nearby apartment complex and leveled 53 buildings, causing $50 million in damage. The wind-whipped flames leaped from roof to roof, fed by wood shingles that served as tinder.

More than 1,500 people were left homeless by the April fire, then the worst in Orange County history. Swirling Santa Ana winds whipped the fire into a frenzy, quickly sweeping through a four-block area near Cerritos Avenue and Euclid Street. Before firefighters could bring the fire under control, 393 apartment units, one house and one business were destroyed.

The Anaheim apartment fire was noteworthy because it led to a rush of lawsuits by residents, who said the city was negligent because a wire from a city-owned street light had been rubbing against an untrimmed palm tree, causing sparks to ignite fronds on the tree. Three years later, the city of Anaheim settled the lawsuits by 128 tenants and building owners for $12 million.

More importantly, the 1982 fires also led to stricter building regulations. County officials put strict limitations on the construction of homes in sensitive canyon areas following the Gypsum Canyon fire.

Six days after the Anaheim apartment fire, the City Council passed an ordinance banning untreated wood shingle roofs on all new construction. The new regulation, which was subsequently adopted by most cities in the county, requires chemically treated shingles that stand up to fire, or the use of noncombustible or fire-retardant roofing materials.

After the Anaheim City Council adopted the new ordinance, then-Gov. Jerry Brown pushed for a statewide ban on all untreated shingle roofs. However, a measure supported by Brown to require fire-retardant roofs was killed in the Legislature.