Williams Fire
{{Short description|2002 wildfire in Southern California}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox wildfire
|title = Williams Fire
|image =2002_Williams_Fire_on_September_26.jpg
|caption = The Williams Fire viewed from a NASA aircraft on September 26
|alt = An aerial image from high above the fire shows gray smoke emanating from a brown burn scar in rugged mountains, with dense suburbs clustered on their southern extent
|location = Los Angeles County, Southern California, United States
|area = {{convert|38094|acre|ha sqmi km2|0}}
|date = {{Unbulleted list|{{Start date|22|9}} – |{{End date|2002|10|1}}|({{duration in days|2002|9|22|2002|10|1}} days)}}
|structures=76|evacuated=>2,000|cost={{Unbulleted list|$15 million|(equivalent to about ${{Inflation|US-GDP|15|2002|fmt=c|r=1}} million in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}})}}|injuries=≥7|image_map=2002 Williams Fire map.png|image_map_alt=Refer to caption|image_map_caption=The footprint of the Williams Fire}}
The 2002 Williams Fire was a large wildfire in Los Angeles County, California. After igniting on September 22, the fire burned {{convert|38094|acres|ha|abbr=in}} before it was declared fully contained on October 1. The Williams Fire destroyed dozens of structures, largely cabins in the Angeles National Forest. It was the third largest wildfire of the 2002 California wildfire season, during which 8,171 individual fires burned a total of {{convert|538216|acres|ha|abbr=out}}.{{cite web |date=February 11, 2003 |title=2002 Large Fires |url=http://www.fire.ca.gov/fire_protection/downloads/LF2002.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208215137/http://www.fire.ca.gov/fire_protection/downloads/LF2002.pdf |archive-date=December 8, 2017 |access-date= |website=California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire)}}{{Cite web |date=August 24, 2020 |title=California Wildfires and Acres for all Jurisdictions |url=https://34c031f8-c9fd-4018-8c5a-4159cdff6b0d-cdn-endpoint.azureedge.net/-/media/calfire-website/our-impact/fire-statistics/ca-wildfires-and-acres-for-all-jurisdictions.pdf?rev=0b3842a0f4fe4874978e716d3cfd670d&hash=3FA937C2E9F12591470567F5F7B4EEE1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240409053051/https://34c031f8-c9fd-4018-8c5a-4159cdff6b0d-cdn-endpoint.azureedge.net/-/media/calfire-website/our-impact/fire-statistics/ca-wildfires-and-acres-for-all-jurisdictions.pdf?rev=0b3842a0f4fe4874978e716d3cfd670d&hash=3FA937C2E9F12591470567F5F7B4EEE1 |archive-date=April 9, 2024 |access-date=April 9, 2024 |website=California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire)}}
Progression
The Williams Fire began on Sunday, September 22, 2002, at about 5:00 p.m. near Camp Williams in the Angeles National Forest north of Glendora. A gold prospector living in the area reported the fire by radio to the volunteer fire department at Camp Follows.{{Cite news |last=Gold |first=Scott |last2=Malnic |first2=Eric |date=September 27, 2002 |title=Firefighters Dig In at Mount Baldy Village |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-27-me-fire27-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223183500/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-27-me-fire27-story.html |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |access-date=February 28, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}} The fire burned at least {{convert|750|acres|ha|abbr=out}} by evening, forcing thousands of recreational visitors to evacuate the area.{{Cite news |date=September 23, 2002 |title=Wind-Driven Fire Threatens Homes |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-23-me-fire23-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223183509/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-23-me-fire23-story.html |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |access-date=May 10, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}}
By the night of September 23 the Williams Fire had burned {{convert|5000|acres|ha|abbr=out}} and was only 10 percent contained. A thousand firefighters fought the fire, aided by eight helicopters and nine air tankers, as it threatened neighborhoods in the community of La Verne.{{Cite news |date=September 24, 2002 |title=Fire Prompts Evacuations in La Verne |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-24-me-fire24-story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223183505/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-24-me-fire24-story.html |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |access-date=May 10, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}}
By September 25 the fire's burned area amounted to more than {{convert|9000|acres|ha|abbr=out}}. The brunt of the fire suppression effort was focused on the Williams Fire's {{convert|11|mi|km|abbr=out|adj=on}} southern flank, which threatened neighborhoods not just in La Verne but also in Azusa, Glendora, and San Dimas. The number of firefighters and aircraft assigned to the fire increased to roughly 2,000 and 30, respectively.{{Cite news |last=Madigan |first=Nick |date=September 25, 2002 |title=California Fire Advances on Hillside Homes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/25/us/california-fire-advances-on-hillside-homes.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223183456/https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/25/us/california-fire-advances-on-hillside-homes.html |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |access-date=May 10, 2024 |work=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331}} The fire reached the top of Sunset Ridge on the night of the 25th, leading to evacuation orders for Mount Baldy Village. Firefighters successfully protected Julius Klein Conservation Camp, Camp Follows, and Camp Williams by setting backfires.{{Cite news |last=Gold |first=Scott |last2=Streeter |first2=Kurt |last3=Marosi |first3=Richard |date=September 26, 2002 |title=An Inferno in the Mountains |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-26-me-fire26-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223183455/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-26-me-fire26-story.html |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |access-date=February 28, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}} By 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 25, the fire had burned {{convert|30000|acres|ha|abbr=out}} and was 10 percent contained. The fire had closed to within {{convert|1/2|mi|km|abbr=out|spell=in}} of Palmer Canyon and within {{convert|2|mi|km|abbr=out|spell=in}} of Mount Baldy Village.
On Thursday, September 26, foggy conditions prevailed over the San Gabriel foothills, reducing the risk to communities there. At the higher elevations the fire remained active, closing to within {{convert|1.5|mi|km|abbr=out}} of Mount Baldy Village. Firefighters worked to reduce the risk to the village by clearing brush from the side of Mount Baldy Road, laying {{convert|20000|ft|m|abbr=out|spell=in}} of hose line throughout the village, and coating the ridges surrounding the town with fire retardant. Late on the 26th the fire had burned {{convert|32000|acres|ha|abbr=out}} and was 35 percent contained.
By Friday, September 27, officials called the threat to property "significantly diminished" as an upper-level low-pressure system moved inland from the Pacific, bringing enough moisture to produce drizzle over the fire area. By then the Williams Fire had spread to more than {{convert|35000|acres|ha|abbr=out}} had burned and was 35 percent contained.{{Cite news |last=Hernandez |first=Daniel |last2=Malnic |first2=Eric |date=September 28, 2002 |title=Cabin Owners Return to Ruins as Fog Cools Flames |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-28-me-fire28-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223183458/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-28-me-fire28-story.html |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |access-date=May 10, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}} By September 29—with the fire's activity largely quashed by weather systems—it had burned a total of {{convert|36160|acres|ha|abbr=out}} and was 80 percent contained. About 2,000 firefighters continued to construct fire lines.{{Cite news |last=Marosi |first=Richard |date=September 30, 2002 |title=Blaze Still Keeps Many From Homes |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-30-me-fire30-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223183511/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-30-me-fire30-story.html |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |access-date=May 8, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}}
The evacuation order for Mount Baldy was lifted the night of September 30. The Williams Fire was declared fully contained on October 1, 2002, with a total associated fire suppression cost of $15 million (split between the federal, state, and Los Angeles/San Bernardino county governments).{{Cite news |last=Reich |first=Kenneth |date=October 2, 2002 |title=Williams Fire Contained After 38,094 Acres Burn |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-oct-02-me-fire2-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223183513/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-oct-02-me-fire2-story.html |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |access-date=February 28, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}} It burned {{convert|38094|acres|ha|abbr=in}} in total. The Williams Fire burn scar later helped limit the westward spread of the 2003 Grand Prix Fire.{{Cite news |last=Blackstock |first=Joe |date=January 16, 2014 |title=Colby Fire recalls 2002 Williams Fire, last major blaze above Glendora |url=https://www.dailybulletin.com/2014/01/16/colby-fire-recalls-2002-williams-fire-last-major-blaze-above-glendora/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223183456/https://www.dailybulletin.com/2014/01/16/colby-fire-recalls-2002-williams-fire-last-major-blaze-above-glendora/ |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |access-date=May 10, 2024 |work=Inland Valley Daily Bulletin}}
Cause
Effects
The Williams Fire caused no fatalities. Seven people were injured, at least six of them firefighters.
The fire destroyed 76 structures, including 62 homes or cabins and 14 outbuildings. The majority of the lost homes were in San Dimas Canyon and had been leases from the Angeles National Forest. The fire also burned 85 percent of the San Dimas Experimental Forest,{{Cite news |last=DiMassa |first=Cara Mia |date=January 25, 2004 |title=Devastating Fire Ignites Flurry of Research at Forest Lab |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jan-25-me-dimas25-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223183502/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jan-25-me-dimas25-story.html |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |access-date=May 10, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}} destroying a shed that stored soil samples dating back to the 1930s.{{Cite news |last=DiMassa |first=Cara Mia |date=October 12, 2002 |title=Dust to Ashes: Soil Falls Victim to Forest Fire |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-oct-12-me-dirt12-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223183507/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-oct-12-me-dirt12-story.html |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |access-date=February 28, 2024 |work=Los Angeles Times}}
The number of people under evacuation exceeded 2,000, most of them residents of Mount Baldy, Palmer Canyon, and Padua Hills. The fire caused the Forest Service to close the entirety of the Angeles National Forest, a measure that had not been taken in over 25 years.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued an advisory for communities in the foothills of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains on September 25, urging residents to limit time spent outside.