NJFFSA16
08-01-2005, 01:58 AM
By GREG RISLING
Associated Press Writer
CRESTLINE, Calif. (AP) - As wildfires tore through Southern
California two years ago, firefighters let Ron Albright and his
wife return to their home in the San Bernardino Mountains to grab
their belongings.
They had little choice about their route back out of the forest.
With paved roads blocked by other fleeing homeowners, they took a
bumpy, dirt road built to accommodate fire crews.
This summer, mountain dwellers might not have that option.
Damage from a series of powerful winter storms has closed more
than 2,000 miles of fire access roads used to protect 2.3 million
acres of forests in Southern California.
The U.S. Forest Service is rushing to make repairs, but nervous
residents fear the work might not be done in time to save lives and
property.
"We're vulnerable now more than ever," said Albright, 58, who
has lived in the mountains for 30 years and twice fled approaching
flames. "For those who live up here, those roads are our Plan B."
The winter storms dropped 90 inches of rain in some mountain
areas, sending tons of dirt and boulders cascading down hillsides.
Roads were turned into rushing rivers of debris that ripped
drainage pipes from the ground and left them crumpled.
The wet weather also spawned teeming vegetation that's steadily
turning into kindling under triple-digit summer temperatures.
Plants and bushes that are usually knee-high this time of year are
now waist- or chest-high.
Combined with an infestation of bark beetles that has killed
thousands of trees, the conditions could spark one of the worst
fire seasons in memory.
"Given all of the rain, it's the worst I've seen in 35 years,"
said Alan Edler, a Forest Service civil engineering technician in
Angeles National Forest. "This year, the road repairs are
extreme."
The roads provide vital access and escape routes for fire crews.
Without them, firefighters must rely on paved routes - many of
which are also damaged - or get more help from water-dropping
aircraft.
In May, President Bush signed an emergency funding bill
allocating about $25 million to fix roads in Angeles, Cleveland,
Los Padres and San Bernardino national forests.
"If there is a serious fire this summer, crews simply won't be
able to reach vast tracts of land, and entire forests could go up
in smoke," U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said while
announcing allocation of the federal money.
"This funding is urgently needed to fix the roads, protect
communities and save lives," she said.
The Forest Service had hoped to finish the work before the start
of fire season in early June. But with Congress slower than
expected in providing the money, some of the repairs might not be
finished until October.
"Every roadway that we have available to us is extremely
important," said Tracey Martinez, a spokeswoman for the San
Bernardino County Fire Department. "We'll just have to deal with
it."
So far this summer, two small fires have rattled nerves in the
San Bernardino Mountains. A 100-acre blaze in early July forced the
evacuation of 1,200 children from youth camps.
The fears are fanned by memories of 2003. The Old Fire that
threatened Albright's step-down home with its inviting patio was
one of 15 wildfires that killed 24 people, destroyed more than
3,600 homes and blackened at least 750,000 acres throughout
Southern California.
Flames took out several dwellings on Albright's street, but his
house survived.
In Angeles National Forest, Edler is overseeing repairs along
1,000 miles of access roads. Contractors hired by the Forest
Service have spread out to fix and clear the routes.
In one spot, erosion has eaten into a winding, 12-foot-wide dirt
road leading to a fire substation, leaving a precipitous ledge less
than two feet wide. It's a harrowing walk from one side to the
other.
The remaining roadway is propped up by jagged bedrock and dirt.
Forest Service officials estimate it will cost about $250,000 to
make the repairs and reinforce the hillside to prevent future
slides.
"The major challenge we have is how to make repairs so you
don't have to lose what you've fixed," Edler said.
Albright is encouraged that roads are being repaired and hopes
that firefighters will have all the tools necessary to protect his
home and others.
"The goal was to get roads open by fire season and that hasn't
happened," he said. "It's not paranoia on our part. It's just not
having a lot of choices when the worst-case scenario happens."
---
On the Net:
U.S. Forest Service: www.fs.fed.us/
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Associated Press Writer
CRESTLINE, Calif. (AP) - As wildfires tore through Southern
California two years ago, firefighters let Ron Albright and his
wife return to their home in the San Bernardino Mountains to grab
their belongings.
They had little choice about their route back out of the forest.
With paved roads blocked by other fleeing homeowners, they took a
bumpy, dirt road built to accommodate fire crews.
This summer, mountain dwellers might not have that option.
Damage from a series of powerful winter storms has closed more
than 2,000 miles of fire access roads used to protect 2.3 million
acres of forests in Southern California.
The U.S. Forest Service is rushing to make repairs, but nervous
residents fear the work might not be done in time to save lives and
property.
"We're vulnerable now more than ever," said Albright, 58, who
has lived in the mountains for 30 years and twice fled approaching
flames. "For those who live up here, those roads are our Plan B."
The winter storms dropped 90 inches of rain in some mountain
areas, sending tons of dirt and boulders cascading down hillsides.
Roads were turned into rushing rivers of debris that ripped
drainage pipes from the ground and left them crumpled.
The wet weather also spawned teeming vegetation that's steadily
turning into kindling under triple-digit summer temperatures.
Plants and bushes that are usually knee-high this time of year are
now waist- or chest-high.
Combined with an infestation of bark beetles that has killed
thousands of trees, the conditions could spark one of the worst
fire seasons in memory.
"Given all of the rain, it's the worst I've seen in 35 years,"
said Alan Edler, a Forest Service civil engineering technician in
Angeles National Forest. "This year, the road repairs are
extreme."
The roads provide vital access and escape routes for fire crews.
Without them, firefighters must rely on paved routes - many of
which are also damaged - or get more help from water-dropping
aircraft.
In May, President Bush signed an emergency funding bill
allocating about $25 million to fix roads in Angeles, Cleveland,
Los Padres and San Bernardino national forests.
"If there is a serious fire this summer, crews simply won't be
able to reach vast tracts of land, and entire forests could go up
in smoke," U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said while
announcing allocation of the federal money.
"This funding is urgently needed to fix the roads, protect
communities and save lives," she said.
The Forest Service had hoped to finish the work before the start
of fire season in early June. But with Congress slower than
expected in providing the money, some of the repairs might not be
finished until October.
"Every roadway that we have available to us is extremely
important," said Tracey Martinez, a spokeswoman for the San
Bernardino County Fire Department. "We'll just have to deal with
it."
So far this summer, two small fires have rattled nerves in the
San Bernardino Mountains. A 100-acre blaze in early July forced the
evacuation of 1,200 children from youth camps.
The fears are fanned by memories of 2003. The Old Fire that
threatened Albright's step-down home with its inviting patio was
one of 15 wildfires that killed 24 people, destroyed more than
3,600 homes and blackened at least 750,000 acres throughout
Southern California.
Flames took out several dwellings on Albright's street, but his
house survived.
In Angeles National Forest, Edler is overseeing repairs along
1,000 miles of access roads. Contractors hired by the Forest
Service have spread out to fix and clear the routes.
In one spot, erosion has eaten into a winding, 12-foot-wide dirt
road leading to a fire substation, leaving a precipitous ledge less
than two feet wide. It's a harrowing walk from one side to the
other.
The remaining roadway is propped up by jagged bedrock and dirt.
Forest Service officials estimate it will cost about $250,000 to
make the repairs and reinforce the hillside to prevent future
slides.
"The major challenge we have is how to make repairs so you
don't have to lose what you've fixed," Edler said.
Albright is encouraged that roads are being repaired and hopes
that firefighters will have all the tools necessary to protect his
home and others.
"The goal was to get roads open by fire season and that hasn't
happened," he said. "It's not paranoia on our part. It's just not
having a lot of choices when the worst-case scenario happens."
---
On the Net:
U.S. Forest Service: www.fs.fed.us/
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)