Berkeley paths may not be the answer; early evacuation is key during wildfires

Last year, the Los Angeles fires were devastating. Driven by 90 mph winds, millions of embers shot through the air, skittered across streets in unison, and fell from the sky like fiery snow. Despite an enormous firefighting response, crews could not fight the wind. People could not evacuate fast enough. Abandoned cars clogged roadways, and chaos and confusion ensued. Ultimately, more than 18,000 homes and other structures were destroyed in multiple fires. Grief spread as lives and homes were lost. 

The Bay Area is not immune. In 1991, fire swept through the Oakland Hills. Dry vegetation, low humidity, extreme heat and 50 mph winds fueled fast-moving walls of flames. In the end, 3,000 homes and other buildings were destroyed, and 25 people died. Narrow, winding roads made evacuation difficult. Many people became trapped in their cars because of stalled traffic and blocked roads.

According to a study commissioned by the City of Berkeley, it could take more than four hours to evacuate the Berkeley Hills. The longer residents wait to leave, the more likely they are to become caught in gridlock. Timing is critical. During the Los Angeles fires, many residents relied on the Watch Duty app for emergency information.

For many years, the Berkeley paths were considered possible wildfire evacuation routes. Given Berkeley's steep hills and narrow roads, the paths may appear to be a viable option. However, residents fleeing on foot could be exposed to intense heat, heavy smoke, hazardous gases, and traffic collisions at road crossings. Depending on how a fire spreads, evacuees could encounter impassable areas or become trapped or overtaken by flames.

That is why, in a recent interview with BPWA, Berkeley Fire Chief Dave Sprague said, "We are moving away from the idea that we are recommending people evacuate on foot after a fire ignition. We would like to emphasize that people leave early when we make that declaration." Being proactive is key to survival. 

Over the years, Chief Sprague said, "We have had a lot of opportunities to study fire behavior and human behavior and evacuation response. We know that if we don't get people out, people will die in their homes. They will die on foot. If we are evacuating downhill via paths, we have failed as a fire department, as a city."

Chief Sprague strongly recommends signing up for evacuation alerts through the Berkeley Emergency map, the Genasys Protect app, and AC Alert. "When we know the fire weather, we can start the evacuation process in an orderly fashion, which means far less need for traffic management," he said. That can be difficult given the number of intersections and the limited number of police officers available to direct traffic. 

To learn more, read Chief Sprague's 2025 article published in The Berkeley Scanner, "We cannot fall into the trap of doing nothing."