Wildfire preparedness was the topic of a community meeting in San Luis Obispo on Thursday night.
A major wildfire hasn’t burned into the city in decades, but there have been some close calls.
That’s why fire officials are stressing preparedness as conditions dry out across the Central Coast.
“We live on Patricia Drive at the base of Bishop’s Peak. Fire could come down fast. We’ve only had one fire since we’ve lived here that really scared us,” said San Luis Obispo Resident Dolores Quezada, who attended Thursday night’s meeting.
She says that fire is a top concern in her neighborhood.
“Those of us who live there--we’re very careful because we know that if a fire starts there, it can travel fast,” explained Quezada.
Fire preparedness was the topic of a meeting hosted by SLO City Fire.
“We know that fire is a function in our environment. It’s a necessary, needed function,” said Fire Chief Todd Tuggle. “The difference is when we put houses in the way of that natural function, how does that work? That’s part of our symbiotic relationship that we have with fire.”
He says it’s not just areas on the edge of the city that are at risk.
Recent catastrophic fires in Northern California have wiped out entire neighborhoods and towns including the 2017 Tubbs fire in Santa Rosa.
“We know this can happen. Prior to 2017, I don’t think anybody anywhere believed that this could happen. It was not thought of,” said Tuggle. “In 2018, we know what happened up in Paradise. It was this on a scale 10 times more.”
Fire officials are stressing that similar levels of devastation are possible anywhere, which is why it’s important to prepare and take steps ahead of time to protect your home.
“We’re surrounded by beautiful open space but with that open space comes some responsibility because of the wildfire risk that comes with it,” said Emergency Manager James Blattler.
The last major fire to burn into the city happened in the 80s, but there was a close call in the South Hills Open Space in 2020.
“That fire threatened many homes and infrastructure but fortunately, firefighters were very aggressive and able to contain that fire before it damaged any homes or caused injuries,” said Blattler. “That risk was a strong reminder of what we face around us.”
Fire officials stress that being prepared is a community effort as fire season gets underway.
