Cdf Douses Volcan Fire

By Jim Evans

It could have been much worse, CDF Information Officer Matt Streck said of the recent Volcan Mountain fire. Still, it took a week and almost 1,400 firefighters to douse the blaze that erupted Sept. 6 on Volcan Mountain near Julian and burned 685 acres before it was contained.

“Contained only means we’ve drawn a line around it,” Streck said Sept. 14 from the helopad in Santa Ysabel. “This was a very hot fire.” A lone helicopter was making a last “drop” over the fire as he spoke, before the helopad was shut down.

Photos by Darrel Kinney

The rugged terrain made it difficult for firefighters to access much of the fire zone except on foot.

“We are still doing a lot of cutting and clearing,” Streck said. “Many of the trees were dead from bark beetle infestation, creating a lot of heavy fuel for the fire, and some of the embers can remain alive for a long time, so we will be keeping an eye on things for a while.”

“The source of the fire was still undetermined as of Sept. 14,” Streck said.” “We lost 24 cabins and nine outbuildings — mostly trailers and sheds — but, fortunately, there were no campers in the area, and the fire did not threaten any residential areas.”

Matt Streck and Tom Porter of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Streck is based at the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection headquarters in El Cajon, in the Rancho San Diego area, and was a deputy sheriff/firefighter in Northern California for 11 years before joining the CDF six years ago.

“Even in isolated areas like this, people should clear away brush and create a defined area around cabins and campgrounds to reduce the risk of fire,” he recommends. “And don’t stack firewood next to structures. One of our firefighters had to move a large stack of wood from next to a cabin to save it, which is very difficult and time-consuming for us when we are trying to put out a fire.”

Streck also recommends that cabin owners distinctly mark the location of their cabins with signage indicating the address, even in the woods. “It’s a lot easier for us to find your cabin — and potentially save it — if we have an exact address.”

For other recommendations on how to protect your property from wildfire, Streck refers readers to the department’s Website at www.fire.ca.gov.