Since the Bilbrey family relocated to Dulzura two years ago, there have been two close calls with fire.
The Border 32 fire, which started close to Barrett Junction a few months after they had moved in, burned almost 4,000 acres at one point, closing state Route 94 and causing the family to spend the night with friends. Then, last summer, a mountain in Tecate caught fire close enough for them to view it from their front door.
Chris Bilbrey took note of the website address when he saw an electronic message sign advertising a grant that could assist homeowners in Dulzura in preventing fire damage to their properties.
Santana High counselor Bilbrey reasoned that applying for the grant couldn’t hurt. “I don’t get anything is the worst case scenario,” he remarked. In the best scenario, they show up and get to work.
As it happens, it was the best case. The family’s house became the first in San Digeo County to be renovated to be more resilient to wildland fires after Bilbrey’s application was accepted.
The work was completed as a trial project for the $117 million California Wildfire Mitigation Program, which was started in a number of California counties. The initiative, which is supported by both federal and provincial monies, aims to help marginalized communities in regions that are vulnerable to wildfires. The initiative focuses on Dulzura, Potrero, and Campo in San Diego County.
The upgrades, which cost over $110,000—nearly three times what the state had originally planned to spend per home—were completed by contractors after a county fire battalion chief inspected Bilbrey’s house and described the extent of the work.
A portion of the funds were used to hire a California Conservation Corps crew to clear and trim trees and overgrown brush from the 3.25-acre land, lay a ring of river rock as hardscape around the house, and establish a 100-foot buffer of defensive space. The contractor received the remaining monies for labor and supplies needed for home hardening improvements.
Bilbrey had paid nothing for the work. Depending on family income, some homeowners may be requested to contribute up to 25% of the cost, according to program manager Akilah Cunningham.
Over the next three years, the county has about $24 million in funding available for expenditures. To yet, about 50 homeowners have submitted applications for the program.
The contractor turned the manufactured home into a fire fortress at the Dulzura residence by completing a list of requirements. Fiber cement boards were used in place of wood since the program mandates that the bottom two feet of a house must be made of non-combustible material. According to San Diego County Fire Battalion Chief Cal Hendrie, workers replaced composite wood beneath a window that was so flammable that it wasn’t funny.
Two wood decks in front of the house were reconstructed using pressure-treated lumber, which has been chemically treated to reduce the likelihood of fire. There were no longer any open areas beneath the decks where embers could catch fire and leaves could gather. They are now equipped with mesh screens to keep off embers and are situated on river rocks.
Blocking potential entry points for embers or flames is the aim throughout the house.
Workers replaced vinyl window screens with metal ones and installed ember-resistant vents on the roof and around the foundation. To make sure neither would blow open in a fire, they constructed a similar locked door to cover the fuse box and installed locking hinges on a concrete board fire-resistant door for the subterranean space of the house.
The last action? After everything was finished, crevices and cracks were filled with fire-resistant foam to prevent embers from entering. The caulk can be cut and painted to match the home after it dries. Bilbrey remarked, “I never would have thought of that kind of stuff.”
A history of fires
Bilbrey, his wife Jean, and their three children moved from Fletcher Hills to Dulzura in March 2022.
The goal was to purchase a house that would allow for the construction of an ADU for Jean’s parents. Located just off Route 94, the gray three-bedroom mobile home was exactly what they were searching for.
“We adore it,” Bilbrey remarked. We adore the area, the peace, and the scenery. For us, it has been a wise decision.
However, there is an increased risk of wildfires when residing in the backcountry. High winds and scorching temperatures frequently batter East County, drying out vegetation and making it a tinderbox just waiting for a spark.
About 30 miles east of San Diego, the village of Dulzura is accustomed to fire, and the land the Bilbreys purchased has already been burned by at least one fire. Although the precise date is unknown, a real estate agent informed the family that an ADU and a three-car garage on the property had been damaged by fire at some point.
“There were remnants of the ADU and a huge slab of concrete where the old garage was when we moved in,” Bilbrey added. There was a lot of vegetation on the site.
Bilbrey stated that he intends to preserve the area now that it has been cleared. Additionally, he stated that numerous discussions with Hendrie, the program’s construction manager, had made him far more conscious of fire risks.
State program takes shape
Although state lawmakers approved California’s initiative to help homeowners protect their homes and create defensible space in 2019, the program required several years to develop.
Since 2015, 15 of California’s most devastating fires have occurred, resulting in the loss of almost 14,500 structures in 2020 and 2021 alone. That is the reason for the mitigation program.
According to a summary of the state pilot program, the only way to end the cycle of disaster damage, reconstruction, and recurrent damage is to plan for mitigation and carry out projects.
According to the research, in order to alter wildfire behavior, reduce a fire’s intensity, and lessen losses from catastrophic wildfires, dwellings must be hardened and defensible space must be created.
According to J. Lopez, executive director of the California Wildfire Mitigation Program, if enough homeowners take part, the program can increase a neighborhood’s fire resilience in addition to a home’s.
The program’s initial goal was to update each home’s fire safety for around $40,000, but in recent years, expenditures have increased dramatically. The $110,000 spent on the Dulzura project, according to San Diego officials, is more than they plan to spend on future home retrofits.
They claim that if a contractor performs multiple home retrofits concurrently, which is what is intended in Campo, where residences are situated on smaller lots and closer to one another than in Dulzura, prices may be reduced. Contractors will probably be able to complete the task faster as they become more accustomed to the program, which will result in cheaper labor expenses.
Additionally, officials would like to see additional companies submit bids for the project.
Lopez stated that although the program’s original objective was to finish 2,500 homes throughout the state, 2,000 dwellings might be a more realistic target.
He added, “As we sail the ship, we are building it.” That’s the difficult part. We deal with things as they come up.
Better shot at surviving
Bilbrey said he feels much safer in this house now that the repair is finished.
I believe that we have taken all the necessary precautions up to this point, so if something were to happen in this area, my house would have a far higher chance of surviving.
However, some possible safety risks are hard to see, such as the straw mat Bilbrey put outside his metal front door. It turns out that an unwanted threat can even emanate from a welcome mat.
The battalion chief, Hendrie, saw the danger right away and alerted the homeowner that the mat was highly combustible.
Bilbrey took it off.
We need to locate a welcome mat that we feel comfortable placing there, therefore we don’t have one at the moment, he stated.
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