Fire in Montebello Hills raises new dangers about housing proposal

Officials in Montebello, Calif., have confirmed that damage from a recent wildfire was more extensive than previously reported. 

The Lincoln Fire began around 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 16 near the Rio Hondo River section of the Whittier Narrows. The fire spread quickly in two directions, north to the Bosque de Rio Hondo recreation area and east into the Montebello Hill oilfield. The oilfield is located within Unit 9 of the California Gnatcatcher Critical Habitat designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2007.

At a Montebello City Countil meeting on Aug. 26, Mayor Jack Hadjinian said 384 acres burned, including 50 acres in the Montebello Hills.

The City Council recently approved a controversial 1,200-unit housing development for the middle of an active oilfield in the Montebello Hills. The burned area includes a portion of land set aside for a California gnatcatcher habitat reserve. The developer is consulting with the Fish and Wildlife Service to assess the impact of the fire.

For the past 10 years, the Sierra Club’s Save the Montebello Hills Task Force has been voicing concerns about the housing project including the risk of fire posed by the adjacent Whittier Narrows. A 2004 draft Hazard Mitigation Plan submitted by the city of Montebello to the California Emergency Management Agency identifies Lincoln Avenue as one of four areas described as a wildland/urban interface "that could have the potential for disaster." 

The task force will continue to monitor the situation in Montebello.