An Afternoon Photo Memoir

Around 1:30 pm on a hot and windy Monday afternoon, a small brush fire broke out between Moraga Way and Donald Drive in Orinda, California. Orinda is a small community about 20 miles east of San Francisco that is know for its schools and rolling hills covered with old Oak trees. Most of the fire appeared to be in the Orinda Oaks Park. The following are some of the details I was able to gather regarding the fire:

Estimated number of Fire Engines: 30

Estimated number of Fire Fighters: 90

Number of Aircraft: There were a few different aircraft used, including 2 Grumman S-2Ts and a helicopter.

Estimated acres Burned: 8 - 10

Alarms: 3

Retardant used: Possibly Phos-check

Cause: Three days after the fire, the suspected cause was a spark caused by a tractor. Dry, dead weeds were being mowed in the area, but it is not known if a tractor used for this purpose was responsible for the fire.

The day after the fire, there was one engine on duty near one of the fire roads looking for any possible flare-ups.

Fortunately, nobody was injured and no structures were damaged. I saw a few residents near the fire using garden hoses to drench areas around their property and several other onlookers watched and took photos. The pilots of the planes flying overhead flew low and fast to drop their loads of fire retardant despite numerous high-tension power lines surrounding the fire.

Please feel free to add any comments, information, or photos of your own on this page. As always, you can send them to me if you don’t have the time and I can get your experiences online for all to see. Contact me at morrism@memoirstream.com

By Michael Morris