LAGUNA BEACH : Plan to Minimize Fire Hazards OKd

The city is moving ahead on several fronts to minimize future fire risk, including a $1-million project to widen and extend the fuel breaks that rim the open space areas of the city.

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday for a package of proposals to minimize fire hazards, a plan that was praised by most people who spoke at the meeting.

Some of the measures will be in place by fall, while others are long-term projects.

As part of a larger set of recommendations, the council gave city staff the green light to inspect all homes next to open space areas by Aug. 1, a project that could involve as many as 1,800 houses, according to Fire Chief Richard Dewberry, who presented the plan.

“Not that we won’t lose some houses, but maybe we can minimize the risk so we won’t lose so many,” Dewberry said.

Another proposal that drew support from residents will explore ways to create emergency access roads in areas that are difficult to escape in an emergency, such as the Canyon Acres community.

“We want to build a safe, defensible community,” one Canyon Acres resident told the council.

As part of the effort to minimize fire risks in this city, where more than 400 homes burned in the October firestorm, the council will hear a staff report March 1 on possible changes in the city’s building and fire codes.

City Manager Kenneth C. Frank said it will cost from $1 million to $1.3 million to improve the fuel breaks but that the federal government may pay 75% of the cost. As it has in the past, the city may use goats to clear away the vegetation, Dewberry said, or it could employ hand crews.