Jeni White’s Atascadero home was surrounded by flames when a fire broke out Saturday afternoon.
“We thought we were going to watch our house burn,” said White.
The fire on San Carlos Road burned 9 acres, killing 4 horses and injuring 2 people, but missed White’s home.
“When I really saw it, it was over here. I saw it hop and just come really fast," White recalled. "It's just amazing how quickly it spreads.”
Fire officials say that their home was saved due to defensible space and weed abatement efforts. CAL FIRE SLO Public Information Officer Ryan Grebe says that although some cities have their own rules, for San Luis Obispo County, state policy for defensible space is followed.
“100 feet of defensible space around your home," Grebe said. "But as long as people are working on their property and making sure that they don't have anything that's going to run up to their house and that the vegetation is clear, it's going to make a big difference.”
The San Carlos Road fire was just one of the many fires occurring in North County over the weekend, including in Templeton and Creston.
“One of the fires was caused by downed power lines. A couple were started off the roadway. One was a vehicle fire," Grebe said. "Regardless, we have to go out and fight those fires and make sure they don't get any bigger.”
In the heat of the summer, Atascadero Fire Operational Battalion Chief Matt Miranda expects the trend to continue.
“It was an abnormally busy weekend. Especially as the heat increases, it's going to continue to be an interesting couple of weeks here,” he said.
And now, officials say that efforts to have defensible space around your home are more important than ever.
“They're always a little bit thin, but [resources] are even thinner right now with the current fire out on the 166, and all your firefighters are working hard to keep you safe,” Miranda said.
“The Carlos Fire in Atascadero City, it was just a great example of why we encourage everyone to use defensible space on their property, because we can tell everyone that it works, but we actually have tangible examples of that now.”
More information on defensible space can be found here.
