1991 Oakland Firestorm in Claremont Canyon

Video of the October 21, 1991 Oakland Firestorm spreading along the north slope of Claremont Canyon, shot from Stonewall Road across the canyon at about noon, one hour into the firestorm.

[@MrGTO-ze7vb]

thanks for posting this video Elliot.!! I saw the fire cloud from Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey Sunday afternoon. I then drove back that evening to San Jose and could not believe the size of this. My sister lives in Oakland off of High St. On Friday I drove up to the Oakland hills and helped a friend retrieve a few items from his ash pile.. He lost everything in his house but his 4 car garage built into the hillside was spared. His vintage race cars were not touched. What is amazing that some houses were spared but every house around them were gone

[@crowhillian58]

I'm from England and I was on the Golden Gate bridge on that Sunday morning. When we started walking across, the smoke was an annoying blob on the horizon spoiling the photographs of downtown SF and the otherwise perfect blue sky. By the time we had crossed the bridge, the smoke had blotted out the sun. It was a day I'll never forget!

[@streetparade]

I lived in Cole Valley in SF at the time (later moving to Rockridge in Oakland) and was at the Pumpkin Festival in Half Moon Bay that day. We could see smoke from Hwy 1. I've never felt a day like that since, the Bay area was so arid with lack of humidity it felt like a desert. When we got home we watched that one house burning (if you were there I'm sure you remember it). It held out for so long until eventually it was consumed. Strange day.....

[@sacdevo79]

They did in 1993, its called "Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland"

[@wildhorseguy]

I'm working on a fresh review of wildfire fire service capabilities in the region that will include recommendations. I'd like your permission to use a couple of segments from your video to illustrate fire behavior. Thanks.

[@wildhorseguy]

+Phillip Unrau Building in these wildland-urban interface zones is risky behavior however people are going to live close to urban centers and we're not going to change that. One issue is that the fire risk has been known since the early 1900s - historic records prove such awareness. After significant fires there is a push for more fire-safe construction, better fuels management, more accessible roads, improved water systems, and so on. But memories are short, builders want to save money, people want the "natural" look and in about 30 years the cycle repeats. We're coming due for the next big one. Given this year's fuels volatility, the spread between major fires might be less than 30 years this time around.

[@KattyKoo-g5n]

I lived on Thornhill when this fire hit. It was a whopper!!

[@stevo03lw]

trying to find it, somebody in my family taped over it...

[@SirEscobandz]

dam

[@SirEscobandz]

thats sad