The Vision Fire
The wildfire at Point Reyes was the area's most devastating wildfire in sixty years with more than 12,000 acres
of state, federal and private lands burned. The wildfire was aptly named the Vision Fire after the site of
ignition (Mt. Vision); however, the lessons learned from this fire also provided tremendous insights into
fire management. The fire began in an illegal campground on State Park lands, and propelled by hot, dry
50 mph winds, spread rapidly through several decadent vegetation communities from the Bishop
pine/Douglas fir along the Inverness Ridge to sand dunes along the Pacific Ocean. The rate of spread of
the fire reached 3,100 acres per hour.
By the third day, the fire had consumed 12,040 acres from mountain ridges to the sea, including 45
privately owned homes in the wildland/urban interface. Although news agencies reported that 20% of the
fire was contained on the second day, a discerning eye could easily distinguish from a map of the fire that
the 25% containment represented the Pacific Ocean. The fire continued to flare up over the next 10 days,
re-threatening homes along the park boundary. Not until October 16, 12 days after ignition, was the fire
declared controlled. Over 95% of the fire burned within the Point Reyes National Seashore. Within the
Seashore the Vision Fire burned a total of 11,410 acres, representing 25% of the park’s designated
wilderness.
At the height of the fire suppression campaign, 2,164 personnel including 74 hand crews, 27 bulldozers, 7
air tankers, 7 helicopters and 196 fire engines, were involved. Park Headquarters were converted into a
self-contained city overnight with personnel from several agencies (NPS, California Department of
Forestry, U.S. Forest Service, California Department of Corrections, California State Parks, U.S. Weather
Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and fire departments extending from northern and central California)
and organizations (Salvation Army, American Red Cross, etc.) forming an encampment on park lands.
