Firefighters Seek Brush Clearance

If the head of the Los Angeles fire prevention bureau had his way, the brush would be cleared and the trees trimmed at all homes scattered throughout the fire-prone Santa Monica Mountains.

Although the law is on Capt. Paul Quagliata’s side, he says too many property owners are not.

Despite ample evidence that such clearance works to save homes, nearly half of the 16,000 parcels in the city that received notices last year were never cleared, Quagliata said.

Lack of compliance puts a chink in the armor of fire protection. Much of the ability of firefighters to save lives and property in the dangerous brush fire season depends on the amount of fuel the fire has in residential areas.

In La Canada Flintridge today members of nine government agencies will hold a news conference to emphasize “the potential for a very active fire season” in Southern California because of increased vegetation as a result of El Nino-driven rains.

Last month, 48,000 property owners in the mountain fire district received letters from the city or county reminding them to clear their lots within 200 feet of any structures to comply with the law.

Some homeowners, Quagliata said, have grown complacent in the 20 years since the last major mountain fire within the city boundaries.

“They’re gambling that the fire isn’t going to happen,” Quagliata said, “but it is going to happen.”

In October 1978, eight fires erupted at nearly the same time, raging from Malibu to Agoura and Mandeville Canyon, burning 33,000 acres, destroying 230 homes and causing $71.4 million in property damage.

More recently, the 1993 Malibu/Calabasas fire, which burned just outside city boundaries, caused three deaths, burned more than 16,000 acres and destroyed nearly 400 homes, causing more than $219 million in damages.

Fire inspectors who patrol the mountain region say there are plenty of violations.

In a canyon between homes high in the Santa Monica Mountains, sage, mustard and all types of wild grasses flourish, their pale colors blended together like a watercolor painting.

But fire inspector Wes MacDonald doesn’t see beauty when he looks up the hill at the houses abutting the brush; he sees danger.

“Fire can run 16 times faster up the hill than you can,” MacDonald said.

In Los Angeles County, firefighting agencies rely on property owners to obey the law. When they do not comply, the city or county steps in and does the work, billing the property owner for the cost of the labor and levying fines of $250 to $500.

Last year in Los Angeles alone, city contractors were able to clear only 1,000 of the estimated 7,000 lots found not in compliance.

City fire inspector Michael Woods said his job can be frustrating.

“As firefighters we want to have what we call defensible space,” he said. “I think when people saw the film of the Malibu/Calabasas fire, they saw that the firemen could save the houses with the good brush clearance.”

As a result of that fire and to be in line with county regulations, the city increased the brush clearance requirements last year from 100 to 200 feet. The process of keeping the mountain region clear is ongoing, with the danger increasing each year that dry, dead vegetation is allowed to remain on hillsides.

In one area of Woodland Hills just south of the Ventura Freeway, the thick weeds and grass on an empty lot appear not to have been mowed for several years. The overgrowth on the property runs up to the deck of an older, wood-shingled house.

“That house right there would go up in a minute,” Woods said. “The house at the top of the hill is in danger too. The heat from a fire would blow out the windows, and the sparks would get inside. Fire finds a way.”

To clear the lot, Woods said, would be in everyone’s best interest.

“It’s for their protection, the protection of property and lives,” he said. “As firefighters, we’re looking for a chance to stop the fire. If they don’t clear the brush we won’t have a chance.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Rules for Mountain Fire Areas

0-100 ft. from structures

Grass and weeds: cut to 3 in. height

Native shrubs: space a minimum of 18 ft. apart

All shrubs: trim up from the ground 1/3 of height

Small trees: remove lower branches to 1/3 of height

Trees over 18 ft.: remove foliage 6 ft. within ground

All Trees: no foliage within 10 ft. of chimney

Roofs: Cleared of leaves and other combustibles

100-200 ft. from structures

Heavy brush: Reduced by 50%

Source: L.A. Fire Department