Posts Tagged: structure
What can we learn from the 14,000 homes lost during the Camp Fire?
Shades of brown and grey cast over bricks, cement, remnants of metal roofs and steel beams from manufactured and modular homes, collapsed stucco walls, BBQs, shells of washers and driers, along with an occasional tea pot—that is what you can see in and amongst living, but singed Ponderosa pine and California black oak trees where the Camp Fire burned. How did California's most deadly fire happen and what might be done differently to ensure a better outcome? These are difficult questions that California will wrestle with for a long time to come.
Last week I was able to tour some of the burned area in Paradise and Magalia to evaluate why some homes survived and others did not. This gave me a chance to look at homes that survived largely on their material selection, design details, the owner's maintenance efforts, and not necessarily with the aid of a fire crew or resident that stayed. Many of the buildings that were burned were lost on the first day or two of the fire while emergency response was focused on evacuating the communities. It will take months to make sense of this mess and tragedy, but during my tour some conditions rang true to me.
- Wildfire is not uniform. Not all fires are the same and not all houses experience the same type of fire. When you are looking at home losses and survivors, keep in mind that each home may not have had the same fire exposure. Some homes experienced significant ember exposure, while others ignited because their neighbor's home succumbed to fire and the heat of their neighbor's house caught their house on fire, while others were protected from the wind and its deadly embers. Paradise and Magalia have blocks and blocks of nothing but foundations, but amongst these bleak conditions are a few intact or partially damaged homes that have a story to tell.
- We saw homes that survived that had upgraded attic and foundation vents that meet the California building code for construction in wildfire prone areas. Some of these houses also included some extra efforts where vegetation and combustible mulch was virtually eliminated in the area immediately adjacent to the home. Our inspection team included UC's Dr. Steve Quarles, a national expert in fire-safe construction, who interpreted this to mean that meeting the 2008 Chapter 7 A standards, coupled with the enhanced defensible space, likely made the difference to ward off the assault of the ember-driven Camp Fire. We found evidence that burned homes in Paradise had ¼” mesh foundation and under-eave vent screens. Research has shown that these larger size screens let embers penetrate the attic and ignite the house from within. The 2008 California building code standards specify screen mesh size between 1/8” and 1/16”-inch, or vents that demonstrate their ability to resist embers and flames.
- Our tour also confirmed that landscaping plants and wood mulch placed right next to the house creates vulnerability. While looking at the rubble of a home, it can be difficult to tell what happened; however, we saw several surviving houses with broken glass or otherwise damaged dual-pane windows that experienced heat exposures sufficient to crack glass in the windows, but the home still survived during these first two days when fire crews were rightly focused on community evacuation and not structure protection. For the houses that did not survive, we can interpret that in addition to the vulnerabilities in vents or a roof, heat can easily break glass in windows, especially if those windows are single pane, and can likely created a pathway for fire to enter the houses.
- Home placement makes a difference. A home at the top of a canyon or gulch can easily be overwhelmed by wildfire by taking on additional heat as the fire approaches and being blasted with embers. This is not a new concept, but the homes in the broader Paradise region were especially vulnerable when they were located above these gulches and canyons. Enhanced vegetation management is highly recommended that includes a 5-foot non-combustible zone immediately adjacent to the home.
Our team, which also included Dr. Eric Knapp from the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station, has been able to do a quick analysis of home losses by year of construction in Paradise. This cursory analysis shows that many homes built after the 2008 wildfire standards were adopted were lost during this fire, however, without knowing the specific details of each home (e.g., maintenance practices, proximity to other building, etc.), these statistics can be misleading. We will continue to work through the available data to try to look for patterns, however, in the meantime, it seems clear to me that the new construction standards can reduce the probability of ember intrusion and may have helped for some homes in Paradise. This week a new study reported that complying with these standards was not considerably more expensive. Additionally, the codes that help guide construction in California's wildfire-prone areas are dynamic and will be informed by the 2017 and 2018 wildfire seasons.
For me thinking about Paradise in the abstraction was easy. Visiting it was different. The name says it all. After my visit I could understand why someone would choose Paradise or Magalia; the views are awesome, the air is clear, the forest and woodlands are amazing. I can only imagine that the community was (almost) perfect. Rebuilding a more resilient community will take considerable thought, effort, and some radical new ideas.
Follow-up regarding UCOP restructuring plans
Greetings, ANR colleagues,
I'm pleased to be able to offer some additional information on the Huron Consulting Group's review of UCOP's organizational structure and share their report with you. [See report attached to Feb. 8 ANR Update email.] I want to strongly emphasize that the options presented in the report are just that: possible options from one consulting firm while other reviews and consultations are also taking place. President Napolitano and UC Board of Regents Chair George Kieffer have both stated very clearly that the options presented by the Huron consultants are open to consideration, but may or may not be pursued; further analysis and feedback is desired.
I realize that many of you have now seen the Los Angeles Time's article reporting that “UC President Janet Napolitano is considering a potentially sweeping overhaul of her office…” In that article, one of the possible scenarios called out was an option to place UC ANR as an entity within the UC Davis campus. I, and other UC leaders, have already expressed serious doubts that having ANR placed within any single campus would best serve the UC system or our many diverse stakeholders throughout the state; I have briefed UCOP leadership on the downsides to such an option.
The other option, creating a “new location” combining several programs with our division, also has issues that we have highlighted to UCOP. President Napolitano is working closely with various UC stakeholders to analyze Huron's report and the various options offered. At this point, I have been asked to offer ideas on how to position ANR to enhance collaborations throughout the entire UC system and to best serve the important research and public service mission for which we are responsible. It remains to be seen how exactly this restructuring will impact UC ANR; however, early discussions have been very positive.
We all know that UC ANR is a unique part of the university; we serve every county of the state and bring the resources of UC directly to local communities. Our advisors and specialists work with the entire UC system, and a wide array of external partners, to solve local and global problems while serving California's needs. The attached report offers ways to share comments directly to UCOP and you may always share your thoughts with us at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.
Rest assured that I will remain closely engaged in the process, providing the president my thoughts on the optimal way to position UC ANR appropriately and effectively. We have had several meetings already, and I am quite optimistic that this process will serve our UC ANR mission well. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
Best wishes and thanks for all that you do!
Glenda Humiston
Vice President
View or leave comments for ANR Leadership at http://ucanr.edu/sites/ANRUpdate/Comments.
This announcement is also posted and archived on the ANR Update pages.
UCOP Huron Report 1.26.18
Wait! Take Me With You!
The honey bee struggled, but couldn't free herself from a broadleaf milkweed blossom in our...
A honey bee carrying milkweed pollinia. It resembles a wishbone. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
IIt's easy to get trapped in the sticky reproductive structure of a milkweed. This one was stuck for two hours.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee gathering nectar on a broadleaf milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee's early morning visit to a milkweed. Note the trapped leg. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A honey bee, with milkweed pollinia attached, resting on broadleaf milkweed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)