As the three-year anniversary of the deadly, destructive Camp Fire approaches, one San Francisco-based data company wants to ensure other towns don't suffer the same fate as Paradise.
StreetLight Data, headquartered on Harrison Street, compiled a list this summer of 15 places in California with more constrained evacuation routes than those in Paradise, where residents abandoned their cars amid long traffic jams while the fire ripped through the town. The New York Times' California Today newsletter published the top five on Wednesday, two of which are in Northern California: Brooktrails in Mendocino County and Lake California in Tehama County.
Martin Morzynski, Vice President of Marketing at StreetLight, told KCBS Radio's Kris Ankarlo and Patti Reising in an interview on Thursday each of the places shared commonalities: Namely, a couple thousand residents and no more than a couple of roadways to leave the area.
"On any given day, most of the people living there actually use one single road to get out," Morzynski explained. "And when disaster strikes, you might have smoke, you won't have full visibility. Well, what happens? Those people tend to take the same road they're used to taking, and then all of a sudden, you have the same 3,000 people, who essentially have three exits to choose from, are choosing one."
Morzynski mentioned Pine Canyon in Monterey County as another example. He said quite a few Northern California towns also fit the description, especially in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
StreetLight's findings necessitate a granular approach from CAL FIRE and local authorities, Morzynski said. Knowing a community is at particularly high risk, officials can then ensure exits are cleared, signage is visible and plans to notify residents, in person, are in place.
Morzynski argued that could make all the difference in preventing a repeat of the damage Paradise sustained.
"We believe that it's an array of things that communities are doing already to prepare for evacuation," he said. "But if you could identify the towns that really are at the biggest risk, just make sure that they're doing this sort of planning because, presumably, not every community is."
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