Tree thinning, homeowner maintenance and firefighters' efforts limited damage, Forest Service says.
An Assessment of Fuel Treatment Effects on Fire Behavior, Suppression Effectiveness, and Structure Ignition on the Angora Fire
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/angorafuelsassessment/intro.phpKey Findings
* Most of the area fuel treatments reduced fire behavior from a crown fire to a surface fire.
* Area fuel treatments adjacent to subdivisions provided important safety zones, increasing suppression effectiveness which saved houses.
* Urban lot treatments reduced ember production, and reduced heat and smoke allowing firefighters to be more effective.
* A large number of houses burned from firebrands generated from other burning houses rather than wildland fuel.
* Fuel treatment units on steep slopes burned at higher intensity than those on flat ground
* Some fuel treatment units burned at high fire intensity because they were adjacent and downwind from untreated units. Crown fire momentum carried high fire intensity partway into these treated areas before the more widely spaced crowns and reduced surface fuel caused the fire to fall to the surface.
