BANNING – (INT) - Wednesday marked the 10th anniversary of the deadly Esperanza Fire.

It swept through the San Jacinto Mountains in Octoberr 2006 consuming 34 homes and taking the lives of five firefighters. They were overrun by flames fueled by high winds as they tried to protect one unoccupied home.

The death penalty was ordered for the arsonist who started it.

The ecological recovery of the burn area is well underway, according to Dan Felix, Fire Management Officer for the San Bernardino National Forest.

“From the air, the recovery is fairly noticeable among patches of older brush. There have been so many fires in that area, one burn area blends into another.”

There are no Bighorn Sheep in that area of the San Jacinto Mountains. And, Felix says the Esperanza fire had only a small impact on the wildlife.

Story Date: November 1, 2016