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Cedar Fire
Cedar Fire
Location San Diego County
Date October 25, 2003
17:37 (PDT)
Burned area 280,278 acres (1,134. San Diego County is a County located on the Pacific Ocean in the far southwest of the U Events 1147 - The Portuguese, under Afonso I, and Crusaders from England and Flanders conquer Lisbon after a Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. 2 km²)
Ignition source Signal fire
Land use Mixed, residential and wildlands
Fatalities 15
Smoke from the fires drift toward Arizona and Nevada after the wind shifted on October 29
Smoke from the fires drift toward Arizona and Nevada after the wind shifted on October 29
Southbound on Interstate 5 near Pacific Beach on the first morning of the fire.
Southbound on Interstate 5 near Pacific Beach on the first morning of the fire. Route description Southern California See also San Diego Freeway, Santa Ana Freeway, Golden State Freeway Interstate 5 starts Pacific Beach is a neighborhood of San Diego, bounded by La Jolla to the north Mission Beach to the south Interstate 5 and Clairemont

The Cedar Fire was a human-caused wildfire which burned out of control through a large area of Southern California in October 2003. A wildfire, also known as a wildland fire, forest fire, brush fire, vegetation fire, grass fire, Peat fire, Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U October 2003: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - Driven by Santa Ana Winds, the fire burned 280,278 acres (1,134. The Santa Ana winds are strong extremely dry offshore Winds that characteristically sweep through in Southern California and northern Baja California in 2 km²) 2,820 buildings (including 2,232 homes) and had killed 15 people including one firefighter before being contained on November 3, making it the largest fire in recorded California history. Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina. [1][2] The Cedar Fire was one of 15 fires throughout Southern California that month, including the Old Fire, which became known as the "2003 Firestorm" and the "Fire Siege of 2003. "[3]

Contents

Fire chronology

The Cedar Fire began in the Cleveland National Forest and was reported at 5:37 p. The Cleveland National Forest encompasses 460000 Acres (1900 km² (720 sq m. PDT on October 25, 2003 south of Ramona in central San Diego County. The Pacific Time Zone observes Standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time ( UTC-8) Events 1147 - The Portuguese, under Afonso I, and Crusaders from England and Flanders conquer Lisbon after a Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Ramona is an Unincorporated community (with plans of incorporation in San Diego County, California, USA. San Diego County is a County located on the Pacific Ocean in the far southwest of the U Within ten minutes of the initial report of the fire, the U.S. Forest Service had deployed 10 fire engines, two water-supply trucks, two hand crews and two chief officers. Within 30 minutes, 320 firefighters and six fire chiefs were en route. [4] A San Diego County Sheriff's Department ASTREA helicopter that was rescuing a hunter spotted the fire at about the same time as the first phone report was received and called for an air response. The San Diego County Sheriff's Department, commonly known as the SDSO, is the primary and largest law enforcement agency in San Diego County California. ASTREA is an acronym for Aerial Support To Regional Enforcement Agencies, the air support unit of the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. History Since 400 AD Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys. Another Sheriff's helicopter, equipped with a Bambi bucket, en route to the fire and only minutes away, was called off by a National Forest Service fire chief because it was after sunset "cutoff" for firefighting air attack missions. A helicopter bucket is a specialised bucket suspended on a cable carried by a Helicopter to deliver water for Aerial firefighting. [4]

Initially, winds were moderate and spread of the fire was relatively slow. By midnight only about 300 acres (121 ha) had burned. However, by that time the winds had shifted and began to increase (easterly "Santa Ana" winds) and the fire began moving quickly westward [5]. Overnight, the fast-moving fire killed 12 people living in Wildcat Canyon and Eucalyptus Hills, in the northern part of Lakeside, who had little or no warning that the fire was approaching, and destroyed 28 homes on the Barona Indian Reservation. Lakeside is an Unincorporated community in San Diego County, California, United States. The Kumeyaay, also known as the Diegueño, are Native American people of the extreme southwestern United States and northwest Mexico. [6] In only a few hours the Cedar Fire had pushed southwest over 30 miles (48. 3 km) and had burned over 100,000 acres (404. 7 km²) at an average rate of 5,000 acres (20. 2 km²) per hour and crossed several large highways including I-15. By noon on October 26 the fire was burning hundreds of homes in the Scripps Ranch community of San Diego, and was threatening many others. Scripps Ranch is an upscale inland community in the northeastern part of San Diego California

The fire forced the evacuation of the main air traffic control facility for San Diego and Los Angeles, shutting down all commercial air traffic in the area and disrupting air traffic across the United States. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West The United States of America —commonly referred to as the On October 26, the fire forged into Alpine, Harbison Canyon and Crest burning hundreds more homes in areas that had been devastated by the Laguna Fire 33 years earlier. Events 740 - An Earthquake strikes Constantinople, causing much damage and death Alpine is an Unincorporated community in San Diego County, California, United States. Harbison Canyon is an Unincorporated community in San Diego County, California, United States. Crest is an unincorporated Community in San Diego County, California, United States. The Laguna Fire, previously known as the Kitchen Creek Fire and the Boulder Oaks Fire, was at its time the largest Wildfire in the history of California By October 28, the strong easterly Santa Ana winds died down and the fire turned east consuming another 114,000 acres (461. Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine 3 km²). The entire community of Cuyamaca and most of nearby Cuyamaca Rancho State Park and many homes in the town of Julian were destroyed. Cuyamaca ( Diegueno: ' Ekwiiyemak) is a region of eastern San Diego County. Cuyamaca Rancho State Park is a State park located forty miles east of San Diego California in the Peninsular Range. [7] On October 29 a fire engine crew who were attempting to defend a house in the Riverwood Estates near Santa Ysabel became entrapped and overrun by the fire. Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II A fire apparatus, fire engine, fire truck, or fire appliance is a vehicle designed to assist in fighting Fires by transporting Firefighters Santa Ysabel ( Diegueno: ' Ellykwanan) is an unincorporated community in California, in the east half of San Diego County. One firefighter was killed and three others were injured, one severely. [8] Full containment was achieved on November 3 and the fire completely controlled on December 5. Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina. Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations. [1]

Aftermath

In the wake of the 2003 firestorm, including the Cedar Fire, California Governor Gray Davis declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard to assist in the disaster relief process, and President George W. Bush declared Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties major disaster areas. Joseph Graham Davis Jr (born December 26 1942 better known as Gray Davis, is an American politician who served as California 's 37th Governor For the National Guard of a State and other countries' National Guard see National Guard. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. A disaster area is a region or a locale heavily damaged by either natural hazards such as Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Tsunamis, Floods, [9] San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium was used as an evacuation site, forcing the NFL Monday Night Football game on October 27 between the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins to be moved to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Qualcomm Stadium (aka " The Q " " The Murph " formerly known as San Diego Stadium and Jack Murphy Stadium The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego California. The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami Florida Metropolitan Area. Sun Devil Stadium Frank Kush Field is an outdoor football Stadium located on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe Arizona. Tempe (tɛmpiː Oidbaḍ in Pima) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with a 2007 population of 174091 [10]

Investigation

The Cedar Fire was started by Sergio Martinez of West Covina, California, who claimed he was hunting in the area and had become lost. West Covina is a city located in eastern Los Angeles County California, United States. At first he claimed the fire was started accidentally by a gunshot but later said he started the fire to signal rescuers. Martinez was charged on October 7, 2004 in federal court with setting the fire and lying about it. Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " [11] On March 10, 2005, Martinez pleaded guilty to deliberately setting fire to timber in the plea bargain under which the charge of lying to a federal officer was dropped. Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A plea bargain (also plea agreement, plea deal or copping a plea) is an agreement in a Criminal case whereby the Prosecutor offers This statute generally prohibits lying to or concealing information from a federal official He faced up to five years in prison, but was instead sentenced to six months in minimum-security confinement, which allowed him to leave for work and other commitments, 960 hours of community service, and five years' probation. He was also ordered to pay $9,000 in restitution. [12]

Response criticism

There were a number of controversies associated with the Cedar Fire, resulting in investigations lasting several years. A report, 2003 San Diego County Fire Siege Fire Safety Review[13] prepared in the wake of the fire and presented to the Governor's Blue Ribbon Fire Commission, criticized the overall response. The report stated that though the fire conditions and severity should have been expected, the responsible agencies were not properly prepared when the fire broke out, and radio communications problems exacerbated the problem. The report stated that "Disorganization, inconsistent or outdated policies among agencies that grounded aircraft or caused other problems, and planning or logistics in disarray also marked the preliminary stages of the difficult, dangerous firefighting. "[14]

The turning away of the Sheriff's helicopters by the Forest Service came under severe attack by the public, media and elected officials, believing that an opportunity to prevent the fire from becoming out of control had been lost. The State has an aviation assets "cutoff" policy which stated that "aircraft (planes or helicopters) may not be dispatched so as to arrive at an incident no later than 30 minutes before sunset". [4][11][13][15] The pilot later claimed he could have made three water drops in the time he had before darkness. [4] However, a study performed by the US Forest Service concluded that even if the helicopter had been able to drop multiple loads of water with direct hits on the flames, the impact on the fire would have been minimal. [4] Cutoff also prevented two air tankers and a helicopter stationed at Ramona Airport from being dispatched to the fire, although the tankers likely could not have been used anyway as the pilots had just spent seven hours fighting another fire, and FAA regulations stipulated that they could not continue to fly. Ramona Airport is a public Airport located two miles (3 km west of the Central business district of Ramona, in San Diego County, [16]

A contributing factor to the initial lack of aviation resources to fight the fire was the state's "no divert" policy, which allows incident commanders to dedicate certain resources to a particular fire; the policy applied to both airborne aircraft as well as those on the ground awaiting dispatch. At the time that the Cedar Fire started, there were already 11 other fires burning in the region. Aviation resources in the area were currently being held on the ground under a "no divert" declaration, in order to be available for structures' protection on another fire. However, weather and visibility at the other fire was precluding their use, so the aircraft sat idle despite the fact that the conditions were acceptable for their use on the Cedar Fire. [13]

Resources to relieve the initial attack crews did not appear on the fire scene until around 5:00 a. m. PDT on Monday 27 October, since they had to be dispatched from Northern California, which was depleted in its own right, and some were delayed on their way by other fires in the northern region. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross.

Both the media and area elected officials were also critical of the lack of use of military aviation assets which were located nearby at Camp Pendleton and Miramar. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and serves as its prime amphibious training base Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar, formerly Naval Air Station (NAS Miramar is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd The U.S. Marine Corps operates CH-46 Sea Knight and CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopters that can carry water-dropping buckets, but existing policies prohibited their use until all other civilian resources were used. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Additionally, the military aircraft radios were not compatible with those used by most state and local fire agencies, and the military pilots had not received any training in fire-specific operations. [13]

Comparison to 2007 California wildfires

The Cedar Fire burned 280,278 acres (1,134. 2 km²) 2,820 buildings (including 2,232 homes) and killed 15 people including one firefighter before being contained on November 3, making it the largest fire in recorded California history up to that time. Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina. [1][17]

The California wildfires of October 2007 are a series of wildfires that began burning across Southern California on October 20, 2007, forcing the evacuation of approximately 900,000 residents. Southern California, or So Cal, is defined as the southern portion of the U Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. [18] At least 1,500 homes were destroyed[19] and around 500,000 acres (2,000 km²)[20] of land have burned from Santa Barbara County to the Mexican border. Santa Barbara County is a County located on the Pacific coast of the southern portion of the U [21] As of October 24, 16 active fires were burning in the region. Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat Six people have died[20] and at least 70 others have been injured. [18] As of November 9, all active fires have been contained. Events 694 - Egica, a king of the Visigoths of Hispania, accuses Jews of aiding Muslims sentencing all Compared to the Cedar Fire, rescources were more efficiently used and evacuations were organized much more quickly.

Fatalities

Fifteen people, including one firefighter, were killed by the fire. The fatalities were:[22]

References

  1. ^ a b c Cedar Fire & Memorial, Lakeside Historical Society
  2. ^ Cedar Fire-Final Update, State of California website. Note, some references, such as [1] report the acreage as 273,246, however this article uses the figure reported by the State of California.
  3. ^ "The Story-One Year Later: An After Action Review", U.S. Forest Service
  4. ^ a b c d e "U.S. Forest Service, CDF defend actions", NC Times, November 8, 2003, retrieved August 30, 2007
  5. ^ Los Padres Forest Assn: Page Not Found
  6. ^ "Cedar fire survivors either vow to rebuild or will never return", San Diego Union-Tribune, October 24, 2004, retrieved August 30, 2007
  7. ^ "California wildfires burn through 600,000 acres", CNN, October 29, 2003, retrieved August 30, 2007
  8. ^ California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Review Report of Serious CDF Injuries, Illnesses, Accidents and Near-Miss Incidents: Engine Crew Entrapment, Fatality, and Burn Injuries October 29, 2003 Cedar Fire
  9. ^ "Southern California declared disaster area", CNN, October 27, 2003, retrieved August 30, 2007
  10. ^ Fire crews battle to limit damage from raging wildfires - Sign on San Diego - Oct. Events 1519 - Hernán Cortés enters Tenochtitlán and Aztec ruler Moctezuma welcomes him with great a Celebration Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The San Diego Union-Tribune is a daily Newspaper published in San Diego California, by the Copley Press. 26, 2003 - Obtained August 31, 2007.
  11. ^ a b Marshall, Scott and Gig Conaughton, "Hunter charged with starting Cedar fire", North County Times.com, October 6, 2004. Events 105 BC - Battle of Arausio: The Cimbri inflict the heaviest defeat on the Roman army of Gnaeus Mallius Maximus "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Accessed April 30, 2007
  12. ^ Figueroa, Teri. "Hunter gets probation, halfway house term for setting Cedar fire", North County Times.com, November 17, 2005. Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 284 - Diocletian is proclaimed emperor by his soldiers Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Accessed April 30, 2007
  13. ^ a b c d 2003 San Diego County Fire Siege Fire Safety Review
  14. ^ "Firestorm report critical of policies, logistics", NC Times, March 3, 2004, retrieved August 30, 2007
  15. ^ Interagency Standards for Fire and Aviation Operations 2007, Chapter 17 (PDF) 10. Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England 1575 - Indian "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 1363 - Beginning date of the Battle of Lake Poyang; the forces of two Chinese rebel leaders— Chen Youliang and Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. National Interagency Fire Center (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-31. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1056 - Byzantine Empress Theodora becomes ill dying suddenly a few days later without children to succeed the Throne
  16. ^ Roger Hedgecock and the Cedar fire - The California Chaparral Institute - including a San Diego Union-Tribune article from April 6, 2006 and comments from the following day's San Diego AM Roger Hedgecock show - Obtained August 31, 2007. Roger Allan Hedgecock (born May 2, 1946, in Compton, California) is a Republican Talk radio host and former mayor
  17. ^ Cedar Fire-Final Update, State of California website. Note, some references, such as [2] report the acreage as 273,246, however this article uses the figure reported by the State of California.
  18. ^ a b "Bush signs order to speed aid to fire victims", CNN, October 24, 2007. Cable News Network, usually referred to by its Initialism CNN, is a major English language Television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Retrieved on 2007-10-24. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat  
  19. ^ Gillian Flaccus. "1,500 homes lost; $1B loss in San Diego area", Associated Press, Seattle Times, 2007-10-24. The Seattle Times, one of two daily Newspapers serving Seattle Washington, United States, is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat Retrieved on 2007-10-24. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat  
  20. ^ a b Christine Hanley, Janet Wilson and Mitchell Landsberg. "1,155 homes -- and counting", Los Angeles Times, October 24, 2007. Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Retrieved on 2007-10-24. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 69 - Second Battle of Bedriacum, forces under Antonius Primus the commander of the Danube armies loyal to Vespasian, defeat  
  21. ^ Tony Perry, Garrett Therolf and Mitchell Landsberg. "Massive evacuations ordered as onslaught of fires spreads", Los Angeles Times, 2007-10-23. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC - Retrieved on 2007-10-23. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 4004 BC - Creation of the world begins according to the calculations of Archbishop James Ussher 42 BC -  
  22. ^ List of those killed by the fire, from CBS News

External links

Government

Media

Academics and Research

Scripps Ranch is an upscale inland community in the northeastern part of San Diego California History Established on March 13 1897 San Diego State University first began as the San Diego Normal School intended to educate local future female elementary school teachers
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