Residents remember the Mountain Fire 5 years later
Nearly five years ago today, the Mountain Fire forced nearly 6,000 residents of the Idyllwild and Fern Valley areas were ordered to evacuate. The fire burned for 16 days, caused and estimated $25.8 million in damage, consuming nearly 30,000 acres and covering the Coachella Valley in a blanket of ash. Flames came within two miles of Palm Springs.
At first glance, the town of Idyllwild in the mountains above Palm Desert looks visibly untouched. But just a short distance outside, burn scars run up and down the mountains and across the valleys of the San Bernardino National Forest.
“Those topographies, the fuel loading out there, won’t look the same for another 60 to 100 years,” said Mark Lamont, assistant fire chief of the Idyllwild Fire Department.
Residents view the damage as a daily reminder of one of the most devasting fires to ever hit the area.
“That particular day everything seemed to be available to burn. So, the fire was really hard for us to control. So, it kind of got away,” said Freddie Espinoza, division chief for the U.S. Forest Service.
The fire even produced a voluminous cloud of smoke that was visible in NASA satellite images.
In the over two weeks the fire burned, a total of 23 buildings were destroyed.
“There were homes that were destroyed as a cause from the Mountain fire. Several of them have rebuilt and if I had to estimate, about 50 percent have rebuilt and 50 percent have not,” Lamont said.
One man who did rebuild his home gave KESQ & CBS Local 2’s Katie Widner a tour of his home.
The foundation, an exterior wall, and a charred gun safe were all that remained from his old home.
The man says he rebuilt his wood mountain home out of concrete but some of his neighbors never returned.
“There’s no trees, there’s no brush, there’s no vegetation growing there. It’s starting to come back, but I think people got disheartened after the fire and so they decided not to rebuild,” Lamont said.
Those that did return live in fear of another fire.
“We will get hundreds of phone calls for the smallest of fires because, as a result of, the Mountain Fire.,” Lamont said.
Fire officials stress preparedness, especially to those who live in fire-prone areas and those that lived through the Mountain Fire know at it takes is a spark.
“For the Mountain Fire, for me particularly, just makes you understand that every day is precious to you and in a heartbeat, your life can change,” said Idyllwild resident Rhonda Andrewson.
I-Team investigator Karen Devine will take a closer look at communication efforts between fire agencies the day the Mountain Fire erupted. Find out why the second closest fire department, located in Idyllwild, was not called to the fire in the first 20 minutes? Watch After the Mountain Fire, Thursday at 6 PM on News Channel 3.
Download the KESQ & CBS Local 2 app on iTunes or Google Play for up-to-the-minute breaking news alerts & more
More: I-Team and Stands for You investigations
Find us on Facebook: KESQ News Channel 3 & CBS Local 2
Follow us on Twitter for breaking news updates: @KESQ & @Local2
We’re on Instagram! @KESQ_News_Channel_3 & @CBSLocal2
Noticias en español: Telemundo 15
