Local filmmakers examine the 1977 Honda Canyon Fire in new, award-winning documentary, FireStorm 77 newtimesslo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newtimesslo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Central Coast residentsâ documentary of deadly 1977 fire featured in SLO International Film Festival
and last updated 2021-03-12 13:51:52-05
The story of a deadly fire near Vandenberg Air Force Base that killed four people in 1977 is being featured in a documentary during the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival. The three that led the project came together in the most unassuming way, but the trio all had the same vision; make sure the story is not forgotten.
A professor, his student, and a writer; three Central Coast residents tag teamed FireStorm â77, a documentary film rehashing the events of the Honda Canyon Fire at Vandenberg Air Force Base on December 20
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“Serendipity led us to Assistant Fire Chief Mark Smith (Vandenberg AFB Fire Department) and Captain Brandon Paige (Santa Barbara City Fire Department). Both men began their firefighter careers as Vandenberg AFB Hot Shots. In this capacity, they were able to fill in gaps as to how Vandenberg reacted after the 1977 fire.”
Note: The hot shot team was formed as a one-of-a-kind unit in the Air Force in the spring of 1978.
“This is a true local story of people who faced the most challenging of situations. It tells of hardships, of an untimely dance with death, luck and fear, Ford said. It tells of real flesh-and-blood heroes who ultimately pay a price for getting too close to the fire. It tells of survival, and it tells of remembrance.