The semi-rural Encinitas community of Olivenhain is on high alert for wildfires as residents fear catastrophe following the devastating fires in Los Angeles.
Cal Fire places most of the community in a very high fire severity zone, in part due to the natural vegetation that surrounds and cuts through the area. The designation means a fire can spread more quickly and overwhelm evacuation efforts.
“We’re all terrified,” said Sarah Lifton, president of the Olivenhain Fire Safe Council.
Much of the anxiety in Olivenhain stems from vegetation growth around homes and limited evacuation routes. The city is required to maintain brush in public spaces and forests. But it is not responsible for maintaining overgrowth on private roads or properties.
“The best way that we can help prevent (fires spreading) is by having everyone have a hundred feet of defensible space around their homes,” Encinitas Fire Chief Josh Gordon said.
Gordon is also the fire chief for Solana Beach and Del Mar.
Gordon urges the public to harden their homes in preparation for wildfires. This includes getting the right type of shingles, putting a screen mesh under eaves so embers can’t get into the attic, and keeping flammable or combustible items such as firewood or barbecues away from the house.
“Doing a little preparation before a fire happens is huge,” Gordon said.
But residents say the city isn’t doing enough to enforce these safety standards in private areas. Specifically, there are many private roads that wind through the community and need to be maintained.
Olivenhain resident Camille Perkins, whose family has been in the community for more than 70 years, said she believes Encinitas needs to follow the standards of neighboring Rancho Santa Fe, which has a robust enforcement plan for vegetation management.
“We shouldn’t be less safe here in Encinitas than we are in Rancho Santa Fe,” Perkins said.
Encinitas Mayor Bruce Ehlers said he thinks the city should do more in preparation for wildfire response but fears cracking down on private vegetation is a slippery slope.
“One person’s weeds are another person’s ornamental,” he said. “We have to do it carefully.”
Additionally, the community is concerned about the lack of a full fire station in Olivenhain. Currently, the area has only one fire truck. Fire Chief Gordon said he hopes this can be expanded as soon as possible.
“It is in conversation about upgrading that to a full fire house with the right staffing and the right type of equipment,” Gordon said. “The council is very supportive of going that direction, it’s just about figuring out the exact spot that it needs to go and the funding for it.”
Mayor Ehlers is also in support of building an expanded fire station in Olivenhain. However, he has concerns about the city budget and believes a temporary expansion may need to happen first.
“We have limited funding that we’ll need to apply to the highest priorities,” Ehlers said. “And obviously public safety and fire in particular have always been the lion’s share of our budget.”
The other big concern among residents are the evacuation routes from Olivenhain. There are very few, and they are extremely narrow.
A fire evacuation report commissioned by the city in 2021 claimed the routes were adequate. But the report relied on certain contingencies that weren’t necessarily realistic, such as assuming those who have the ability to shelter in place will. And with the ongoing construction of a new housing complex at a key evacuation choke point, residents worry traffic will prove fatal.
“It doesn’t belong here,” Lifton said of the complex. “And to put it there, which is our major intersection for evacuation, is insanity.”
“I can’t control what my neighbor does with his vegetation,” Perkins said. “But I should have a right to safely evacuate. I don’t have that today in the city of Encinitas.”
Ehlers said he believes traffic concerns are an urgent priority in Olivenhain. He said in the next few weeks he’ll be bringing these concerns to the City Council for the Public Health and Safety Commision to investigate.
“It’s one of the many things we need to do,” Ehlers said. “The whole idea is to prevent a wildfire incident anywhere near the magnitude of, of course, the Palisades.”
Since the Los Angeles fires, Lifton said more residents are paying attention to fire safety. She said she hopes that will encourage the city to more quickly make necessary changes.
For now, Fire Chief Gordon urges residents to comply with evacuation orders as soon as they’re sent out and stay informed on how to protect yourself and your home. Resources for Encinitas residents are available online.
Patrick Doyle is a local freelance writer.