Poinsettia Fire Archives - Wildfire Today

Property owners sue over wildfires in Washington and California

Bill GabbertOctober 24, 2014August 25, 2019UncategorizedCalifornia, Carlton Complex, golf club, Poinsettia Fire, titanium, Washington

Two lawsuits are being threatened over separate wildfires in Washington and California.

Poinsettia Fire

About two dozen landowners are suing a golf course over last summer’s Poinsettia Fire in Carlsbad, California. The lawsuit that was filed in San Diego Superior Court blames Omni La Costa Resort & Spa LLC for the May 14 wildfire that destroyed five homes, 18 apartment units, one commercial building, and 600 acres on May 14 in Carlsbad, California.

As we wrote on October 19, a fire investigator has determined that a golf club striking a rock is one of the possible causes for the fire which started near a cart path on the 7th hole on the resort’s golf course.

Carlton Complex of fires

In central Washington 65 landowners filed tort claims Friday against the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) over the management of the Carlton Complex of fires.

Below are excerpts from an article at King5:

…”We represent mom and pops, cattle ranchers, apple farmers, (and) business owners,” said Brewster attorney Alex Thomason, who filed the legal paperwork in Olympia.

Even before the smoke from the fires had cleared this summer, complaints from landowners started to echo through the Okanogan region.

“They sat over there in the field and watched and took pictures,” Kim Maltias told KING 5 on July 28.

Thomason says some of his clients believe that DNR allowed the fires to grow bigger so that they would receive more state funding.

“The DNR firefighters call this ‘God money.’ It’s an unlimited amount of resources, so they get access to that money by letting the fire get bigger and bigger,” said Thomason.

The tort claims accuse DNR of negligence for failing to protect the properties from the wildfires.

“In the very beginning, DNR stood by and did nothing. They let this fire grow and grow and grow,” said Thomason.

Thomason says some of his clients believe that DNR allowed the fires to grow bigger so that they would receive more state funding.

“The DNR firefighters call this ‘God money.’ It’s an unlimited amount of resources, so they get access to that money by letting the fire get bigger and bigger,” said Thomason.

Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Carl.

Golf club may have started Poinsettia Fire in California

Bill GabbertOctober 19, 2014September 7, 2016UncategorizedCalifornia, golf club, Poinsettia Fire, titanium1 Comment

Poinsettia Fire, screen grab from Fox TV at 120 pm PDT, May 14, 2014 — Poinsettia Fire, screen grab from Fox TV at 1:20 p.m. PDT, May 14, 2014.

A fire investigator has determined that a golf club striking a rock is one of the possible causes for the Poinsettia Fire that burned five homes, 18 apartment units, one commercial building, and 600 acres on May 14 in Carlsbad, California. The fire started near a cart path on the 7th hole on the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa’s golf course.

Below is an excerpt from an article in the Union-Tribune:

As for arson, a viral suspicion on that infernal spring day, [Dominic Fieri, an investigator with the Carlsbad Fire Department] found no evidence of an incendiary device.

“Based on the location of the fire’s origin, and interviews conducted by the Carlsbad police,” he wrote, “I have ruled out any fire causes that resulted in a deliberate act of circumstances in which a person ignited the fire.”

That leaves Fieri with only one explanation he could not reject out of hand — a “smoldering ignition source that had direct contact with combustible materials.”

Given the starting point on a golf course, Fieri concluded that the blaze may have been started either by a burning cigarette or cigar (though he could find no physical evidence in the windy, charred ignition area) or a spark created by a “titanium golf club head” hitting a rock.

If a golf club started the Poinsettia Fire it is not the first time it has happened. There is at least one and possibly two other cases of this happening.

As we wrote in 2010, the Orange County Fire Authority in California said that a 12-acre fire in August of that year was ignited when a golfer, whose ball was in the rough, struck a rock with his club, causing sparks which started the fire. It took hand crews, helicopters, and 150 firefighters to put out the fire at the Shady Canyon Golf Club.

Earlier this year scientists at UC Irvine even conducted research to see if it was possible. Their conclusion:

Titanium alloy golf clubs can cause dangerous wildfires, according to UC Irvine scientists. When a club coated with the lightweight metal is swung and strikes a rock, it creates sparks that can heat to more than 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit for long enough to ignite dry foliage, according to findings published recently in the peer-reviewed journal Fire and Materials.

If you look carefully in the video below, you will be able to see sparks created by a titanium club.

Deceased person found in Poinsettia Fire in Carlsbad, California

Bill GabbertMay 15, 2014May 15, 2014UncategorizedCalifornia, fatality, Poinsettia Fire

A deceased person has been found inside the perimeter of the Poinsettia Fire in Carlsbad, California.

The City announced today that during mopup of the 400-acre blaze, firefighters were alerted to a transient encampment in the area of Ambrosia and Calliandra. On checking the area, firefighters located a badly burned body. Further details about the deceased are unknown at this time and the investigation is ongoing. There have been no other reported injuries or fatalities.

Carlsbad is on the Pacific coast between Oceanside and San Diego. More information about the Poinsettia Fire which started May 14, 2014.

Numerous wildfires in San Diego County

Bill GabbertMay 14, 2014August 25, 2019UncategorizedBernardo Fire, California, Cocos Fire, Highway Fire, Poinsettia Fire, Tomahawk Fire3 Comments

(Originally published at 8:50 p.m. PDT, May 14, 2014; Updated at 7:08 p.m. PDT, May 15, 2014)

On Wednesday wildland firefighters were extremely busy in southern California’s San Diego County. We are aware of eight fires that were active Wednesday.

Tomahawk Fire, from Red Mountain at 12:24 p.m. PDT, May 14, 2014.

After being desiccated off and on for weeks by hot, dry, windy weather, the vegetation was ready to burn. East and northeast Santa Ana winds on Tuesday and Wednesday pushed the fires like freight trains across the hills and through communities. By mid-afternoon on Wednesday the winds decreased, and in some areas were replaced by a slightly cooler breeze off the ocean. This caused the spread of the fires to slow, and gave firefighters a chance, aided by an aerial armada, to move in closer and work the fires.

Fire near San Marcos, screen shot from Fox 5 at 545 pm May 14, 2014 — Washingtonia Fire near San Marcos, screen shot from Fox 5 at 5:45 p.m. May 14, 2014.

Considering the number of fires, the dense population, and how stretched thin the fire suppression forces were due to the scope of the emergencies, a surprisingly few number of homes burned.
Continue reading “Numerous wildfires in San Diego County”

California: Poinsettia Fire in Carlsbad

Bill GabbertMay 14, 2014August 25, 2019UncategorizedCalifornia, map, Poinsettia Fire

Map Poinsettia Fire, 1205 PDT, May 14, 2014 — Map of the Poinsettia Fire, at 12:05 PDT, May 14, 2014, showing heat detected by a satellite. The location of the icons can be as much as a mile in error.

(UPDATED at 7:02 p.m. PDT, May 15, 2014)

All evacuation orders have been lifted for the 400-acre Poinsettia Fire in Carlsbad.

The fire is now considered a regional event. As of 12 p.m. today, CAL FIRE Team 4 has assumed unified command for the fires burning throughout the county. This now is being referred as the “San Diego Complex.”

A deceased person has been found inside the perimeter of the Poinsettia Fire.

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(UPDATED at 5:31 p.m. PDT, May 14, 2014)

New numbers indicate # of homes burned is closer to 12….not 30.

— Shannon Handy (@ShannonCBS8) May 15, 2014

Due to still another fire, the Washitonia Fire west of Escondido, the campus of Cal State San Marcos has been evacuated. The City of San Marcos (@sanmarcoscity) reported at 4:35 p.m. that all neighborhoods south of San Marcos Blvd, including Lake San Marcos, are under a mandatory evacuation order.

The updated map below shows the spread of the Highway, Tomahawk, and Poinsettia Fires.