FALLBROOK, Calif. (KGTV) – The Garden Fire was a grim reminder of the devastating Lilac Fire of 2017.

The fire destroyed 114 homes and damaged 55 others, just northeast of Friday’s blaze.

Next December will mark seven years since the Lilac Fire swept through Bonsall and exploded out of control after a spark during the Santa Ana winds.

Fortunately, it was a very different story on Friday, as crews were able to get the Garden Fire under control much more quickly.

North County Fire Battalion Chief Joey Bradshaw tackled both fires. He remembers the Lilac Fire well and says the conditions on a December day were drastically different than on Friday.

“The big difference was in 2017 we had 70 mile per hour winds, today we had 15 to 20 mile per hour winds,” Bradshaw said of the weather conditions.

Friday’s fire started just hours after the red flag warning expired; By comparison, the Lilac started seven days into a Santa Ana wind event, scorching everything in its path.

Although the fire took place seven years ago, the fire has never disappeared from the memory of the fire brigade.

“It’s really starting to cross our minds here that we’re part of that incident, and many other incidents like it, where we’re going again,” Bradshaw said.

Bradshaw says lessons learned during the Lilac Fire were implemented during the Garden firefight, including how to set up and organize the incident to ensure safety and success.

For many, Friday was a flashback of what happened in the area and a reminder that we are not out of the woods yet. As Bradshaw explains, even though the red flag warning has expired, the brush is now dried out fuel.