This week marks the 44 th anniversary of a devastating fire on Vandenberg Space Force Base that killed four and injured 65 people in December 1977. Firefighters face many challenges in their careers, but the challenges of that day are etched in the memories of those who were there.
Back in the day, during military inspector general evaluations the team would suddenly hand the fire chief a card saying “you have died, do not respond to any radio calls” at the beginning of a test exercise. But these were simply war games to see if their subordinates could assume command effectively.
During the Honda Canyon Fire, what had been practiced in “war games” became a reality.
In the 1970s wildland fire training in the Air Force consisted of less than one page of text in a three-volume Air Force career advancement firefighter’s correspondence course. The AF had no personal protective or motorized fire equipment specifically designed for the wildlands of Vandenberg or any other air base; there was no fire behavior training and not one fire fighter had any relative training.
Honda Canyon is the largest and most significant canyon on Vandenberg SFB. It is a steep, brush filled habitat for wildlife that can still get a person lost and in trouble even today.
California had been baking in the sun all summer and autumn of that year. In an all-too-typical cycle, drought conditions had existed for five years, and all it took was a spark in the tinder dry brush to create a catastrophic fire.
Strong, gusty winds had developed on Dec. 19 throughout California. Due to these extreme winds a power line snapped on a ridge top about 7 a.m., Dec. 20, igniting a brush fire on the southern portion of Vandenberg SFB and the Honda Canyon Fire was born.
Conditions faced by firefighters were daunting; hurricane force wind speeds were gusting at more than 100 mph on Tranquillion Peak. These conditions had never been experienced by base firefighters, and would have a defining impact on fire suppression efforts.
Mutual aid in the form of 35 engines from Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, a contingent of U.S. Navy Seabees from Port Hueneme, equipment from Lompoc and numerous U.S. Forest Service and California Department of Forestry resources fought to contain the flames.
After nearly 24 hours of having their tactics dictated by nature, aid came in the form of a heavy rain allowing for containment and the final extinguishment of the fire.
The relief came, but not before Base Commander Col. Joseph Turner, Vandenberg Fire Chief Billy Bell, Assistant Fire Chief Eugene Cooper, and base Heavy Equipment Operator Clarence McCauley were tragically trapped and killed in the preliminary stages of the fire; 65 others were injured.
Following a major air-command investigation, commonplace for incidents where lives are lost, significant changes were made.
In 1977 base firefighters weren’t trained or equipped to handle these types of fires; today they are very well-trained and equally well-equipped to handle the situation.
We don’t know when the next large fire will occur on the base, but history tends to repeat itself when the vegetation grows back, ages, dries out and then a loose spark sets it ablaze.
The first big change occurred in 1978 when the Vandenberg Hot Shots, a specialized team of firefighters who rely on hand tools to create fire breaks, were first organized and trained. During their service over the last four decades, they have become highly respected in the wildland fire fighting community.
Many crew members went on to become respected fire service managers in several military and civilian fire departments around the state and nation.
In addition, the Air Force provided specialized training for all firefighters assigned to Vandenberg and began the purchase of needed equipment. It would take several years to fully equip them with all the motorized equipment they needed.
“Firestorm ’77 The True Story of the Honda Canyon Fire” is a film dedicated to eyewitness accounts chronicling what happened that day. According to their Facebook page, the film is a “story of a wind-driven wildfire on a California Air Force base that transformed into a power struggle between military command and civilian firefighters resulting in tragic loss of life and, for survivors, a lifetime of recurring trauma.”
The film has apparently resonated with viewers. With only 10 months into a two-year film festival cycle, the film has now been exhibited to audiences at 36 film festivals and is garnering worldwide awards.
— Ron Fink, a Lompoc resident since 1975, is retired from the aerospace industry. He has been following Lompoc politics since 1992, and after serving for 23 years appointed to various Lompoc commissions, retired from public service. The opinions expressed are his own.
