Fire Chief's Report: getting out early is key to surviving wildfire

Steve Abbott

North County Fire Protection District

We have been asked how could so many fatalities have occurred during the recent Northern California wildfires. An Oct. 21 New York Times article (see link below) entitled "How California’s Most Destructive Wildfire Spread, Hour by Hour" provides a good overview.

It can be seen that the Tubbs fire traveled up to 3-4 miles per hour, which equates to nearly 6 feet per second – certainly faster than most of us could run in brush-covered hilly terrain surrounded by darkness, smoke and embers.

Unfortunately, fires such as the Tubbs – blazes that inc...