Narrow Roads, Wood Roofs Posed Hurdles in Fire Fight

San Bernardino County fire officials complained Wednesday that their efforts to protect homes near Lake Arrowhead during the recent wildfires were hampered by narrow roads and antiquated building codes that still permitted homes to have wood-shake roofs.

But as county leaders assessed the response to the Old and Grand Prix fires, the chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors said some destroyed homes in mountain communities such as Cedar Glen could be rebuilt without meeting current safety requirements.

“We are going to try to bring them as close to current code without denying people access,� said Supervisor Dennis Hansberger, whose district includes many of the mountain communities hit hardest by the fires. “How are we going to do that? I don’t know the answer.�

The answer, he said, would come from a 15-member task force of fire, building and safety, planning and land-use officials that has been assembled to recommend changes to the building code.

The task force met for the first time last week and is expected to make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors in about a month.

Among the problems that the task force is likely to examine are the 1930’s-era homes -- some still sporting wood-shake roofs -- built along narrow dirt roads that have no fire hydrants. Current codes require residential roads to be at least 26 feet wide, enough space for fire engines to pass each other.

But San Bernardino County Fire Marshal Peter Brierty said some of the roads in the Cedar Glen community, where the fire charred more than 350 homes, were too narrow to allow even one fire engine to pass, particularly in spots where residents parked RVs or boat trailers along the shoulder.

During the fires, firefighters tried to protect homes on dead-end roads and cul-de-sacs where there was not enough room to turn a fire engine around to escape quickly, Brierty said.

“It’s not uncommon for fire response to be delayed because the engine [driver] doesn’t want to drive headfirst into a conflagration,� he said.

Brierty said he also expects the task force to consider new rules to expand brush clearance zones around homes and restrict vegetation and shrubs that burn quickly.

Much of Cedar Glen was developed in the 1920s and ‘30s with cozy mountain cabins for vacationing Los Angeles residents. But over the years, those cabins became permanent homes on tiny lots, along narrow mountain roads, crammed amid stands of sky-scraping trees.

Many of these mountain homes became nonconforming structures, meaning the owners are permitted to live on the properties even though the homes no longer meet current building and safety requirements. Once such homes are destroyed in a fire, however, the owners must meet new codes if they want to rebuild.

But county officials know that some residents will resist newer, stricter fire safety codes.

“People moved to the mountains to see trees,� Brierty said. “They didn’t move to the mountains to see a cinder-block wall next door.�

In some cases, fire officials concede that it will be nearly impossible for property owners to rebuild their homes under the current codes. For example, to widen some of the narrow dirt roads property owners might be required to remove dozens of trees or pave over creeks, county officials said.

“Whenever something like this happens, it’s an adventure or a journey we and the private citizens have to go through,� said Assistant County Administrator John Goss, who is heading the county’s task force.

But some mountain residents said they would welcome new guidelines that could improve fire safety.

Robert Carpenter, president of the Mountain Rim Fire Safety Council, said most mountain residents are still recovering from the fires and have not had time to think about what new fire safety requirements might be imposed. But he said any changes that will improve safety would be welcomed.

Peter Jorris, an environmentalist and co-founder of the fire safety council, agreed, saying he supports the new task force’s efforts. But Jorris said he fears that county officials won’t address the biggest fire safety challenge: the increasing numbers of residents living in mountain forests.

“My fear is that this will be some sort of Band-Aid that won’t address the real problem,� he said.