Fire Season Gets an Unusually Early Start
Los Angeles County fire officials declared the start of the 1997 fire season Wednesday--an unusually early announcement, prompted by dry conditions.
Officials asked residents to clear brush from around their homes and urged people to exercise extra caution in the wildlands.
The fire season comes a month early because of the lack of rain in recent weeks and low humidity, officials said. Heavy winter rains fed the growth of grasses that now have dried to tinder.
“The vegetation is drying out at a faster rate than we anticipated,” said Capt. Steve Valenzuela, spokesman for the county fire department, at a media open house in La Canada Flintridge.
County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman took the opportunity to highlight a county ballot measure to raise $51.7 million for fire services that were lost when voters approved Proposition 218. He said failure at the polls June 3 could force layoffs and other cutbacks.
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