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Murrieta officials praise emergency response after Fig Fire near city; no reportable injuries
Summary
City staff and council praised firefighters, police and emergency operations staff for their response to a structure-and-vegetation fire Jan. 23, calling it a close call that was contained before causing catastrophic damage.
City officials on Feb. 4 reflected on a Jan. 23 structure-and-vegetation fire near Murrieta and commended firefighters, police and emergency-management staff for containing the blaze before it spread more widely.
The city manager told the council that staff had briefed the council after convening the emergency operations center (EOC) during the episode. "I woke up the next day comfortably, casually, and absolutely grateful that we had a team of professionals," the city manager said, describing rapid field response from Murrieta firefighters and mutual-aid crews from neighboring agencies.
The manager and council members described short-notice preparations the EOC undertook, including opening community-center sheltering options, standing up a telephone information line, coordinating water and supplies for crews and preparing staffing and logistics in case the incident escalated.
Councilmember Lisa DeForest, who said she was a "ready set evacuee" on the city’s west side, thanked staff for timely notifications through the city's alert system. Mayor Pro Tem John Lavelle also praised police for on-the-spot evacuations and assistance. The manager noted that some staff who do not normally serve in the EOC were called in and that all contributed to operations.
Public-information staff announced upcoming community events and household hazardous-waste collection dates during the same meeting; officials reminded residents that county hazardous-waste events accept sharps if sealed and that the city posts program details on murrietaca.gov.
There was no formal council action tied to the presentation; city staff said lessons learned from the EOC activation would be used to refine emergency procedures and community notifications.
