**BREAKING: SIMI VALLEY FIRE DRAWS CHILLING COMPARISONS to 1991 OAKLAND HILLS INFERNO**

BREAKING: SIMI VALLEY FIRE DRAWS CHILLING COMPARISONS TO 1991 OAKLAND HILLS INFERNO

As the Simi Valley fire devours dry hillsides and threatens hundreds of homes, historians are pointing to an eerie, overlooked parallel: the 1991 Oakland Hills firestorm. That disaster, which killed 25 people, destroyed 3,000 homes, and was fueled by drought, Diablo winds, and post-season vegetation, shares near-identical seasonal conditions with today’s blaze.

“We are watching the ghost of 1991 walk again,” said Dr. Elena Reyes, a fire historian at UCLA. “That fire was all but forgotten by the general public because it happened in October, when the public’s attention had already shifted away from fire season. The same thing is happening now — except the fuel load is even higher.”

The hidden historical pattern? October fires are the deadliest because they surprise a complacent public. In both cases, residents assumed the worst of the season had passed. The Simi Valley incident mirrors the “false spring” pattern that preceded the 1991 inferno.

Key parallel: The 1991 fire was sparked by a downed power line after a long dry spell. Early reports suggest the Simi fire may have a similar origin in gusting Santa Ana winds.

With a Red Flag Warning in effect until Saturday, fire officials warn: “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes — and right now, it’s shouting.”