Scripps Ranch knows what wildfire can do
By Dave Mason
Scripps Ranch Fire Safe Council
There are dates a community never forgets. For Scripps Ranch, one of them is Oct. 26, 2003.
Driven by powerful Santa Ana winds, the Cedar Fire raced across San Diego County and into our community. By the time the flames passed, 312 homes in Scripps Ranch had been destroyed.
For longtime residents, the memories remain vivid: hurried evacuations, smoke-darkened skies, streets lined with burned homes, and neighbors returning to find that everything they owned was gone.
The Cedar Fire changed Scripps Ranch.
It also helped change the way our community thought about wildfire preparedness.
In the aftermath, a group of residents living near Chimney Canyon organized to reduce the danger posed by heavy vegetation and dead trees. What began as the Chimney Canyon Fire Safe Council soon grew into the Scripps Ranch Fire Safe Council, serving the entire community.
The work began with a simple realization: we could not prevent every wildfire, but there were things we could do before the next one arrived.
Firebreaks were created. Dangerous trees were removed. Brush was cleared. Residents learned more about defensible space, evacuation and ways to make their homes less vulnerable to flying embers.
Then, in 2007, wildfire threatened Scripps Ranch again.
The Witch Creek Fire brought another evacuation, and another frightening reminder of how quickly conditions can change. This time, Scripps Ranch was spared the devastating losses experienced in 2003 – but the message was unmistakable.
Wildfire is not a problem that disappeared when the Cedar Fire ended. Today, much of Scripps Ranch remains within areas designated as having high or very high wildfire hazard. Our canyons and open spaces are part of what makes this community special, but they also make preparation especially important.
More than two decades after the Cedar Fire, the Scripps Ranch Fire Safe Council continues that work. We are neighbors helping neighbors prepare before the smoke appears on the horizon.
Wildfire Preparedness Day: The Scripps Ranch Fire Safe Council presents a tour of Fire Station 37, 11640 Spring Canyon Road, for Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, Oct. 17, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Meet the firefighters; tour the fire station; fire extinguisher service and training provided.
For information about wildfire preparedness, volunteering or the work of the Council, contact us at (858) 201-3711, email srfiresafecouncil@gmail.com, or visit srfiresafe.org.
And there is another important change ahead for homeowners.
NEXT MONTH: What is “Zone Zero?” – and what California’s new wildfire rules could mean for your home.