El Nino’s Dangerous Legacy: Risk of Wildfires High, Officials Say

Heavy brush resulting from El Nino rains last year, followed by cool dryness this year, have created ideal conditions for big fires in the 1999 season, authorities said Friday.

Usually the hills that ring the San Fernando Valley are as green as Ireland this time of year--moist and lush from winter rains.

But with spring starting today and rain likely this weekend, the rugged peaks of the Santa Susana Mountains, the snaking spine of the Santa Monica Mountains and hillsides in the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys are expected to remain brown and dry.

“Historically, that’s when you see a lot of wild land fires after major storms, the second year,” said Henry Rodriguez, a fire inspector for the Los Angeles County Fire Department. “I look at the hills right now and they are completely dry. The storms we’re getting aren’t even sufficient to wet them.”

As usual this time of year, fire officials are warning residents to clear brush from around their homes to reduce the risk of wildfires.

Fire officials said the hills are so desiccated that they will be dangerously flammable by early summer.

“This year, we have way less fuel moisture,” said Glendale Fire Marshal David Starr, referring to the index firefighters use to analyze how much moisture is retained in plants. Less moisture means higher flammability.

In Glendale, which is one-third wild land area, the hills will be at dangerously dry levels by June.

“Everything will be dried out before the really hot season hits,” he said, “and that puts us at risk.”

Last year, El Nino-generated storms drenched Southern California with twice as much rain as normal, according to state hydrologist Maurice Roos.

In sharp contrast, the south coastal area of California that stretches from Ventura to San Diego had received only 45% of its average rainfall as of March 1, Roos said.

With only a quarter of the rainy season remaining, chances of rainfall climbing back to anywhere near normal levels are slim.

Provisional weather data show that Burbank--the only city in the San Fernando Valley for which figures are currently available--has had only 4.28 inches of rain since the start of the rainy season Oct. 1, according to Jeff Ashby of the Western Regional Climate Center in Reno.

If the provisional totals prove correct, that is the least rainfall since the Burbank site began collecting data in 1940, Ashby said.

This winter in Southern California was as dry as the drought years, Roos said, although he expects figures to improve slightly with storms moving in this weekend.

Despite the increased risk, Los Angeles fire officials said they are entering the fire season just as they always do, by focusing on preparedness and prevention.

Local fire departments will send out notices in May to tens of thousands of homeowners reminding them to clear brush from their property or risk steep fines.

The Los Angeles City Council voted in January to charge property owners in fire-prone mountain areas an annual fee of $13 for brush clearance inspections. That fee applies to 180,000 parcels in the mountain fire district, a region that includes much of the San Fernando Valley’s periphery.

Los Angeles City Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said the primary area of concern in his district is the 52-mile Santa Monica corridor.

To encourage compliance, an additional charge awaits those who disregard warnings from the Fire Department. The council increased the fee this year from $250 to $314 for the administrative expense of hiring a contractor to do the clearance work.

Property owners will continue to be charged for the clearing costs.

With the hillsides already arid, authorities said the unpredictability of weather means the year could still be normal.

“We could have a heavy marine layer through June,” said Starr. “And that could make all the difference.”

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Protecting Your Home

The Los Angeles City Council moved to get tougher on property owners who fail to clear their land of brush that could spread wildfires. Brush clearance is one among several precautions homeowners can take to reduce fire danger.

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Clearing Your Land

Although it’s one of the best ways to prevent a major fire--or simply reduce the chance that a fire will engulf a vast area--many property owners aren’t obeying the city’s brush clearance ordinance that requires brush and grass be cleared within 200 feet of any structure and 10 feet of a roadway.

The expense of clearing brush is passed on to the property owner, plus a $314 administrative fee. There is no fine or other penalty, said Capt. Paul Quagliata, commander of the city Fire Department’s Brush Clearance Unit.

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Information on Clearing: Your Land

* City Fire Public Info.:

(213) 485-5162

* Los Angeles County Fire Brush Clearance: (909) 622-8342

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Sources: Los Angeles City Fire Department; Los Angeles County Fire Department.