Fire Season Expected to Be Among the Worst : Drought: Vegetation is tinder because of the freeze and March rains. Districts reinforce their crews.

Tall grasses that sprang up after March rains could serve as wicks, igniting denser brush and making the fire season that begins today one of the most dangerous in Ventura County history, authorities said.

“We feel that the severity of fire danger is much higher this year than it’s been in a very long time,” said Sandi Wells, spokeswoman for the Ventura County Fire Department.

The December freeze and the five-year drought have killed vegetation, turning it into tinder, authorities said. On top of that, rains that soaked the area two months ago fostered the growth of tall grasses in fields that were dormant the last two years.

The grass, some of which stands more than two feet tall, has already begun to dry out.

“It’s going to add to the light fuels that would carry the fire a little faster up the hill and into heavier fuels like trees and brush,” said Ruben Lopez, fire management officer for the U.S. Forest Service, which is responsible for about 500,000 acres in Ventura County. “It kind of acts as a ladder for the fire.

“We’re getting ready for the worst,” Lopez said.

The forest service’s Ojai district, which covers most of Ventura County’s federal grounds, will augment its year-round staff three weeks earlier than usual to handle potential fires, Lopez said. The district will hire about 35 additional workers to assist the 12 permanent employees.

At the service’s Mt. Pinos Ranger District, which also covers a portion of Ventura County, 15 or 20 people will be hired to help 10 year-round employees, he said. Each district will also have a helicopter available, he said.

The county Fire Department will step up responses to brush fires during the season, which typically ends when rains begin in November. Five engines of three firefighters each will head out to each blaze. Normally, one engine responds, Wells said.

In addition, firefighters will monitor weather conditions for the combination of low humidity and high temperatures that are precursors to brush fires, Wells said. Department officials will also check with other agencies to determine how many crews are available to fight fires and where they are stationed.

Last year, the Ventura County Fire Department fought 287 vegetation fires that burned 2,761.3 acres, Wells said. The department covers the entire county except for national parks and the cities of Ventura, Oxnard, Santa Paula and Fillmore, which have their own departments.

In October, three large fires raged near the towns of Santa Paula and Fillmore, each burning hundreds of acres of brush and trees. At one time, nearly 1,000 men and women from agencies throughout the state were battling the blazes.

To prevent more fires, officials are warning people not to throw cigarettes out their windows or build campfires in brushy areas. In addition, they said, residents should remove dead plants around their houses.

“If we do have a brush fire threatening those homes, those types of vegetation will just explode and carry fire to the wooden eaves of the house,” Wells said.

Representatives of other local fire departments also said they are enforcing weed-abatement programs.

The Santa Paula Fire Department has sent out notices to property owners in vulnerable areas--such as against hillsides or near barrancas--warning them to clear out weeds and brush, Santa Paula Fire Chief Paul Skeels said. The properties will be inspected by officials in about three weeks.

“We believe that the problem is upon us,” he said.