Heat concentrates on the hillside as it rises off the burning brush or trees. The drying and heating of the unburned vegetation happens quicker than on a flat surface. Fire spreads in three ways. Ground fires creep slowly through organic debris on the ground. Surface fires involve surface litter, shrubs, and small trees.
Crown fires roar from tree top to tree top.
Crown fires move the quickest of all fires if there is sufficient fuel and can reach moving speeds as high as 65 mph or more. Firestorms need and consume great amounts of oxygen. Firestorms also create pockets of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide gasses which can kill animals or people. The Kay Spensley Nature Center burned as well as the old rustic ranch buildings. Docents were leading an archeology and chaparral ecology program that morning and had to rush to evacuate the students and themselves.