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Orange council hears wildfire concerns and pleas to revisit Orange Heights project after regional blazes
Summary
Public commenters urged the City of Orange to re-evaluate the 2005 environmental review for the proposed Orange Heights development and to prioritize wildfire preparedness after recent Southern California fires; the fire chief briefed council on mutual aid, backfill staffing, and volunteer firewatch programs.
Public comments at the Jan. 14 Orange City Council meeting centered on wildfire risk and calls to reconsider a long-planned housing proposal near Irvine Regional Park and Peters Canyon. Residents and community groups said the city’s 2005 environmental review for the proposed Orange Heights development is out of date and does not reflect current wildfire conditions, newer state wildland-urban interface rules or endangered-species considerations.
"The 2005 environmental impact report is outdated and does not address current fire risk," Shari Dalal told the council, urging the city to analyze the project under more recent regulations. Several speakers representing the No Orange Heights group asked the council to require a supplemental environmental impact review and to consider conservation options for the site.
Joel Robinson, who cited figures from the 2017 Canyon Fire 2, told the council the previous blaze burned through Irvine Regional Park and nearby areas, destroying structures and triggering costly suppression efforts. "Should 1,180 new homes go into the area between Irvine Park and Peters Canyon? I don't think so," Robinson said, urging additional review and legal scrutiny.
The council heard similar community concerns about evacuation gridlock, water supply reliability, and whether recent fires should change land-use decisions. "If we add another almost 2,000 homes, that's what — 3,000 cars — all exiting in the same areas," said M. Morlock, warning of evacuation bottlenecks.
Council members followed public comment with a briefing from the fire chief, who described Orange Fire Department deployments to recent regionwide incidents and explained how the department maintains response capability while sending strike teams to assist neighboring jurisdictions. The chief said the department uses "constant staffing" and immediate backfill to prevent stations from running empty; pre-positioning and state reimbursements for campaign fires help offset overtime costs.
On mutual aid, the chief said Orange had multiple strike teams and that the state pre-positions apparatus when qualifying events are anticipated. "When we send personnel out, we backfill immediately with that," he said, noting the city has mechanisms to maintain front-line coverage.
Council members asked about hydrant pressure and prescribed burning. The chief and city staff said hydrant pressure in most of the city is adequate for routine house fires but acknowledged that fast-moving canyon fires present fundamentally different challenges. The city also highlighted local volunteer firewatch programs and called for more public preparedness outreach.
No formal council action on the Orange Heights approvals was taken at the meeting. Several speakers urged the council to consider joining litigation over state permits or to pursue conservation acquisition of the property; others requested updated environmental and evacuation analyses before permits are renewed or construction proceeds.
