Anaheim Hills: Santiago Canyon's Wildfire Threat Is Real
Anaheim Hills sits at the mouth of Santiago Canyon and Weir Canyon, where Santa Ana winds drive wildfire directly into hillside neighborhoods. The 2017 Canyon Fire 2 proved this community needs verified fire hardening.
Anaheim Hills is a master-planned community of approximately 45,000 residents occupying the eastern hills of the City of Anaheim in Orange County. Built across a landscape of rolling hills and canyon systems between the 91 Freeway and Santiago Canyon, the community was developed primarily in the 1970s through 1990s as an upscale suburban neighborhood. Its eastern and southern borders press directly against Santiago Canyon, Weir Canyon, and the undeveloped hillsides of the Irvine Ranch and Cleveland National Forest foothills — creating one of the longest wildland-urban interfaces in Orange County.
The October 2017 Canyon Fire 2 brought Anaheim Hills' fire vulnerability into national focus. Driven by powerful Santa Ana winds, the fire burned over 9,000 acres and destroyed 25 structures in Anaheim Hills and neighboring communities, racing through Weir Canyon and Santiago Canyon terrain directly into residential areas. Thousands of residents evacuated on gridlocked roads as the fire jumped across Santiago Boulevard and moved through hillside neighborhoods. The fire exposed what long-time residents already knew: Anaheim Hills' appealing canyon-edge setting comes with serious wildfire risk during Santa Ana wind events.