The 1991 Oakland Tunnel Fire
A small grass fire reignited north of the Caldecott Tunnel on a sweltering hot day with Diablo winds gusting to 50+ miles per hour. Cars approaching the tunnel’s eastern entrance backed up to a plume of gray smoke as the fire spread in all directions. Within thirty minutes the conflagration traveled down Claremont Canyon’s south ridge and leaped across both Highway 24 and Highway 13, igniting hundreds of houses in the Forest Park, Montclair and upper Rockridge neighborhoods.
This fall marked the 30th anniversary of the 1991 Tunnel Fire, also known as the Oakland Hills Firestorm. This devastating wildfire began on October 19, 1991 as a small brush fire that was quickly put out, only to revive again the next morning with a surge of strong Diablo wind. Embers still hot from the previous day flared into flames that whipped through dry brush into pines and other dry vegetation and then to homes surrounded by eucalyptus groves at the wildland-urban edge, completely overwhelming fire personnel tending the scene. Flaming debris blew across the hills and canyons into many neighborhoods for the next two days, igniting anything flammable, eventually destroying over 3,000 homes and killing 25 people. What started out as an apparently manageable fire was combined with extreme weather—an estimated 20 mile-per-hour down slope wind that eventually gusted up to 50 miles per hour— and extraordinary amounts of flammable material, including the homes themselves. It was the ‘perfect storm,’ in this case, the perfect firestorm.
A Thirtieth Anniversary
Commemorative events were held in remembrance of the fire: a gathering at the Rockridge BART station with Oakland community leaders, a hike out of the hills and down designated evacuation routes led by the Berkeley Pathwanderers, and a picnic at Lake Temescal organized by the North Hills Community Association (NHCA) with uniformed police and firefighters—and fire engines—live music, food trucks, and a dog parade. A great way to heal and not to forget fire safety. Activities were topped off by neighbors Russ and Annette Aubry lighting their Tree of Hope remembering those who had perished and those who suffered loss. Please view Community Comeback Stories on the NHCA website as told by neighbors affected by the fire and a slideshow of wonderful quilts and other artistic expressions related to the fire. Good job, neighbors!
Near the end of the day, on October 20, 1991, the house pictured above was surrounded by burning pines and eucalyptus. This house was one of the few overlooking Gwin Canyon (Claremont Canyon’s side branch) that did not burn. Jerry Kent, Assistant General Manager of Operations of the East Bay Regional Park District at the time, said, “They were lucky. The house was brand new with a good roof and tight construction.” The homeowner added, “We inadvertently had good defensible space due to the recent construction, but most important was the presence of firefighters.” Other homes nearby were not so lucky.
Twentieth Anniversary of the Conservancy
Spurred on by the experience of the Tunnel Fire and the need for public engagement, 12 people who had operated as a task force, founded the Claremont Canyon Conservancy in 2001 as a 501c3 public charity. From the beginning, the group embraced wildfire safety in the 500-acre, mostly wildland canyon as a major concern, but also advocated for modest trail improvements and best practices land preservation through concern for native plants and other vegetation suitable for our Mediterranean climate.
With the firestorm still fresh in people’s mind, membership in the Conservancy grew quickly. In the first two years more than 200 families joined us as Founding Sponsors and later more than 600 other families joined at various times and at various levels of commitment. We wanted to educate our members and work cooperatively with the managers of our public lands as the face of the public. Our Founding Sponsor program began with a pledge of $100 per year for ten years to help the organization get established and supplement initial capacity building grants. The Conservancy is now recognized as a community leader in caring for and stewarding precious wildlands close to homes.
At our upcoming Annual Meeting, we will be capping our Founding Sponsor program to members who have already pledged their support of $100 per year over 10-years. Please know that all our members, at any level of donation, along with all our steadfast volunteers, are greatly valued and appreciated.
