“Only you can prevent forest fires!”

~ Smokey Bear, USFS

Yep, we are the problem! You can blame climate change, blame the drought, blame the power companies, blame the Santa Ana winds or lightning strikes but, according to the U.S. Forest Service, humans are responsible for more than 95% of wildland fires.

The tradition of the U.S. Forest Service of preventing man-made forest fires started after the attack on Pearl Harbor. When Japanese submarines surfaced near Santa Barbara it fired shells that exploded close to the Los Padres National Forest. The fear was that more attacks would bring exploding shells igniting wildfires, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

It began an advertising campaign that led to the modern day Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention program. But he had a predecessor.

In 1944, the Forest Service used Disney’s Bambi as the subject for its fire prevention posters. Disney only allowed the Forest Service to borrow Bambi for a year so they created Smokey Bear. The first poster was delivered on Oct. 10, 1944, according to the U.S. Forest Service website.

Smokey really came to life when, in 1950, a fire swept through the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico. In the midst of the chaos, they received a radio call that a lone bear cub was spotted wandering the fire line. The firefighters were unable to respond immediately. While hunkered down to survive the flames, a little black bear cub climbed up a tree to save his life. When he was discovered, he was badly burned. For a short time a local rancher took in the soon-to-be-named baby Smokey. A Fish and Game ranger flew him to a veterinarian in Santa Fe. After he recovered, he lived for 26 years in the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

With autumn in Southern California, Smokey Bear weather arrives. Today and tomorrow weather conditions are expected to intensify, calling for both a high wind watch and Red Flag Warning to go into effect. Moderate Santa Ana winds and their associated heat and low humidity are predicted over many areas of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. Although the winds are considered to be “moderate,” meteorologists and the various fire agencies will be closely monitoring them as the fire weather becomes critical to extreme in nature. Temperatures should start cooling down by Saturday. Temperatures are still “up in the air” for next week, but extreme fire danger is a certainty.

Sue Kilpatrick is a Crescenta Valley
resident and  Official Skywarn
Spotter for the National Weather Service. Reach her at suelkilpatrick@gmail.com.

  Sue Kilpatrick