"Burning Down the House" is a song originally performed by the group "Talking Heads" in 1983. This week we are sharing some classic photos from roughly 35-40 years ago at a controlled structural burn at Angel Island. They were taken by photographer, historian, and retired Marin County FD Senior Captain Greg Jennings during a period of time when Greg says about 40% of the old buildings on the island were burned for removal.
Controlled structural burns for training were very common in the fire service back then. Today, environmental regulations such as air quality management, and safety regulations such as prohibiting exposure to asbestos have greatly reduced these events. In Marin, major burns in the 1970's included former military bases that were being closed down, such as Hamilton Air Force Base, and Fort Cronkite. In the case of Angel Island, it had become a California State Park in several phases that began in the 1950's. This particular burn day was with the Marin County FD and the Kentfield Fire Protection District. We need help in identifying all of the people in the group photo, and in determining the year. Mail Tom at [email protected] if you can help. Thanks to Greg for sharing these great photos! Click here to go to the Angel Island page to see the burn photos: Comments are closed.
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AuthorOur Blog announces new site content, and gives the context of the topic and it's relationship to fire service history. Written by Bill Lellis & Paul Smith Archives
August 2022
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