Nov. 01--Orange County supervisors said Tuesday they plan to launch an independent investigation of the Fire Authority's response to the Canyon 2 Fire, suggesting the initial reaction by first responders might have allowed the blaze to grow big enough to consume 9,200 acres and destroy 78 structures.
"(The response) took something that very well may have been limited, to a total catastrophe," said Supervisor Shawn Nelson. "We were let down."
The specifics of the investigation aren't yet clear. Supervisors voted Tuesday only to form a committee to determine the scope of its probe.
When that probe begins it will be at least the second review of the Canyon 2 Fire. The Orange County Fire Authority governing board on Oct. 26 voted to form an independent panel to examine its response to one of the worst fires in recent county history.
The investigations follow allegations that the Fire Authority was slow to react and ill-prepared to stomp out the blaze, which started Oct. 9 and raged for five days.
Fire Authority records show a fire was reported south of the 91 freeway in Anaheim Hills as early as 8:32 a.m., but that eventually was deemed not to be a fire. At 9:26 a.m., a motorist told dispatchers that he saw flames in the area, but dispatchers responded by issuing a low-priority response known as a "smoke check" to the area, even though the day's weather conditions and the caller's description warranted a bigger response. Only after firefighters on the smoke check crew called to report that a fire was burning on the hill -- about 17 minutes after the motorist's initial report -- did the Fire Authority begin a full-deployment. By that time, the fire had grown substantially.
The Fire Authority's public account of the fire initially showed that the first call of an active fire came at 9:43 a.m., failing to mention the motorist's call and the smaller response.
The sphere of the county's probe remains vague, as supervisors said they won't seek to duplicate the OCFA's investigation.
Instead, Supervisors Nelson and Todd Spitzer will wait for the Fire Authority to release details about the extent of its inquiry and then will decide what the county's investigation should encompass. Nelson said he had faith that OCFA's report would be independent, but added that the county's committee would pressure the agency to act quickly and thoroughly.
"I really don't want someone's whitewashed version," Nelson said. "(Interim Fire Chief Patrick McIntosh) is aware people are watching. I'm not going to close the whole issue and move on because he said so."
Bolstering his case for the county's involvement, Nelson said he doubted OCFA would have held a press conference last week to admit its mistakes if it hadn't become "obvious that I knew enough, that no matter what was said, the truth was going to come out."
It's unclear who will conduct the county's probe. Nelson said the county could hire an independent investigator or might ask a state agency -- such as CalFire or the California's Office of Emergency Services -- to conduct the inquiry for them, with the county submitting questions it wants answered.
McIntosh told supervisors on Tuesday that OCFA's investigation will look into the agency's response to 911 calls, why the fire station nearest to the flames remained understaffed during a red flag warning, and allegations that a Cleveland National Forest fire from the night before could have started the Canyon 2 Fire. The agency also will examine how jurisdictional issues and an ongoing feud between the Fire Authority and the sheriff's department might have limited the number of helicopters that could respond quickly to the fire.
McIntosh told the board the Fire Authority's independent panel would convene in a couple weeks and then issue a report 60 to 90 days from that date.
Frustrated by reports that sheriff's department helicopters were available to drop water but weren't called to do so, Nelson also asked Sheriff Sandra Hutchens, who wasn't in attendance, to consider adopting a policy to allow the department's helicopters to drop water on fires, regardless if they have permission.
"My understanding is that we right now call and ask for permission, and I don't really care, and I don't think the public cares," Nelson said. "Until the cavalry arrives, no more asking permission."
Spitzer and Nelson also criticized the Fire Authority's dispatcher who fielded 911 calls on Oct. 9, saying the employee tried to convince numerous callers that they weren't actually seeing flames.
"It's ridiculous," Nelson said. "This guy is convinced that all these people are just seeing ash and smoke from the old fire. He didn't seem anxious to consider that it's a red flag warning day."
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