Today we remember the toll the Freeway Complex Fire took on those in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. The fire burned 30,305 acres and more than 300 homes were damaged or destroyed–mostly in Yorba Linda. Ninety-five percent of Chino Hills State Park burned as well.
We are forever grateful for the firefighters from near and far that helped extinguish the flames under unimaginable weather conditions and to the residents who took to firefighting themselves when no emergency personnel was present.
Unfortunately, many of our elected leaders have not learned the lessons that devastating fire–and so many fires statewide–have taught us… and instead, they continue to approve homes in very high fire hazard severity zones with limited evacuation routes. We must do better.