Sifting through the Ashes: Lessons Learned from the Painted Cave Fire

This study is more than a history of the Painted Cave FIre, though we do present a narrative account of the inferno that swept down upon Santa Barbara on the evening of June 27,1990. A brief review of the history of fire and fire policy in the United States and in the Santa Barbara area point to our larger topic- the lessons that came, and others that should have come, out of the Painted Cave Fire experience, and the guidance they offer to policymakers and citizens. We conclude with suggestions for more fundamental reforms in the region's approach to living in the least discomfort with one of nature's messengers--wildfire.