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Wood roofs faulted in spread of fire
Mike Meadows / AP file A U.S. Forest Service report concludes that a shower of embers rather than a wall of flame was responsible for igniting most of the 199 homes that were damaged or destroyed in the Grass Valley fire near Lake Arrowhead in October 2007.
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More from StateLAKE ARROWHEAD — A crowded neighborhood in the San Bernardino Mountains went up in flames during a wildfire last fall because the homes were close together, had wooden roofs or had other vulnerabilities, new reports concludes.
A shower of embers rather than a wall of flame was responsible for igniting most of the 199 homes that were damaged or destroyed in the Grass Valley fire near Lake Arrowhead, a U.S. Forest Service report concludes.
The fire began on Oct. 22 and was contained on Oct. 26. Twin reports released Tuesday examined the fire's behavior and damage.
The blaze, roaring through drought-stricken brush and fanned by Santa Ana winds, hit a dense residential development 60 miles east of Los Angeles.
But only six homes actually were engulfed by the fire, a report executive summary says.
The rest were caught in a "domino effect" as firebrands from burning brush or homes hit other residences, the report says.
Firefighters were "overwhelmed" in trying to stop the fire's spread through the subdivision because several homes were burning at the same time, the executive summary says.
"However, more homes would have burned without their intervention," the summary says.
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