10 & 18 Series - East Highlands Fire
The following is a continuation of a multi-post documentation. Click here to begin from Part 1
Location
San Bernardino Mountains, east of the community of Highlands, L.A. California
Origin of Fire
The origin of the East Highlands Fire, both time and location, remains unknown.
Events
On November 19th, 1956, at 11:00 PM, nine fire companies were dispatched to the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains from reports of a fire near the community of Highlands. Public crowds flocked around the area in confusion, causing mass panic and disorder. Police were dispatched to close the surrounding main roads and disperse the crowds for control. While this benefited the safety of citizens, the closure of pathways created additional obstacles for arriving units.
Winds, which ranged from 50 mph to 100 mph, caused the flames to quickly engluf the surrounding groves. The blaze became incredibly threatening in a short period of time. In addition to the expansion, smoke production decreased the visibility of working crews. One fatality occured due to this hazard, with a subject being rushed to the hospital with critical burns by 11:35 PM. His name was never released to the public, however public records verify death. Besides the single fatality, multiple individuals suffered from second degree burns.
After several hot shot crews, bulldozers and water tanks, the fire (according to public reports and speculation) was successfully controlled at 8 PM. More than 3, 500 acres were destroyed by the blaze.
Conclusion
The contributing factors of the disaster included:
(a) Absence of stable communication between companies
(b) Individuals were unable to observe surrounding terrain due to limited visibility
(c) Unpredicted/underestimated wind patterns took crews by surprise
Resources
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