Angora fire report receives mixed reactions

The co-chairs of Lake Tahoe's regulatory agency say the recently released federal fire report and the July 25 creation of a bi-state Blue Ribbon Commission to review basin forest practices are positive measures intended to impartially address the Angora fire.

"(The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency) believes as the facts continue to come out about the Angora fire we'll be able to move into more holistic solutions to reducing the risks of wildfire," said Julie Motamedi, TRPA Governing Board chair. "It's important to look at the big picture, which goes beyond tree removal to forest management, vegetation policies, home building materials, defensible space and public education.

Meanwhile, critics of the federal report released Friday contend it's too soon after the fire to reach definitive conclusions.

The report found that many of the 254 homes lost were ignited by other homes and not flaming trees. It also clarified that no single factor caused the fire to spread, and pointedly expressed how fuel reduction efforts in some burn areas lowered the fire's intensity.

The Angora fire started on June 24 and was contained on July 2. It burned 3,072 acres and cost about $160 million in damages.

The report said conditions on the day of the fire, including 20 to 30 mph wind gusts, helped spread the fire, and that many homes in the area weren't equipped with defensible space. It noted stacks of firewood piled adjacent to homes, dry decking, dead trees and limb debris around properties also contributed to the fire's rapid spread.

On July 25, California and Nevada governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Gibbons signed a bi-state Blue Ribbon Fire Commission agreement, which includes a fact-finding panel of 17 members that will report on the Angora fire, forest management policies and emergency preparedness.

The commission is charged with examining ways to reduce the threat of wildfire while protecting the fragile environment at Lake Tahoe. A report of the commission's findings is due out in March 2008.

TRPA Governing Board Chairman Allen Biaggi is hopeful the federal report and the Blue Ribbon panel will come up with definitive conclusions and recommendations.

"This report will provide critical information to the bi-state Blue Ribbon panel on how to make our forests and urban areas more fire safe in order to protect our citizens and visitors, property and the environment," Biaggi said.

Biaggi serves on the board as the director of Nevada's Department of Conservation Natural Resources. Schwarzenegger appointed Motamedi.

"It's important that TRPA and all agencies strengthen our partnerships as we assist the commission, and we plan to make communication and public education even higher of a priority," Motamedi said. "We must educate the public to promote defensible space and forest fuels management. There may be changes in direction that help achieve all of our goals, and we are committed to communicating any changes that may follow the commission's report."

Much of the feedback the TRPA heard initially about the fire from firefighters was confirmed in the federal fire report, said Julie Regan, the agency's communications and legislative affairs chief.

"It's clear that firestorm conditions driven by high winds played a large role in the fire, but the agency remains committed to a review of policies to ensure our environmental regulations are consistent with the recommendations of fire professionals," Regan said.

"What didn't surprise us about the report was the fact that most homes in Tahoe have flammable rooftops and siding and don't have defensible space," Regan said. "Our Tahoe Basin fire plan highlighted these risks, and it's crucial that we all work together to make wildfire prevention a higher community priority."  

Fire victims can rebuild what previously existed with a fast-track application process through which filing and mitigation fees are being waived by TRPA and El Dorado County. The county has taken the lead on processing rebuilding permits, and TRPA is supporting the process, Regan said.

Critics of the Forest Service and the TRPA said the report doesn't go far enough.

"In regard to this report, I don't think it is the definitive piece in the analysis of what happened with the Angora fire," said Carl Ribaudo, president of Strategic Marketing Group, a South Shore-based tourism marketing company. "I think the Blue Ribbon Commission will be reviewing the issue in a greater totality, and these findings may be a part of that but clearly there are a variety of issues."

Ribaudo contends the report -" which came out 40 days after the fire "- has a limited frame of reference and doesn't take into account periphery issues such as sensitive stream zones, which were dense with heavy underbrush at the time of the fire. Many argue the stream zones, which are protected areas to help preserve lake clarity, are ripe with forest fire fuel.

"Specifically, I've heard firefighters say, though I don't not know if it's true, that these stream zones were like wicks to the fire," Ribaudo said. "Maybe they are all wrong, but I don't think so. You need to have a greater time and distance to review all the facts and all the related issues that have dictated policy for the last 20 years before we can come to conclusions and sound strategies to significantly prove our risk situation."