Residents asked to trim weeds
Ben Godar
As fire officials prepare annual notices asking hillside residents to
clear brush from their properties, they say rain and warm
temperatures have fueled grass growth.
Although there is a healthy growth of annual grasses on hillside
properties, Burbank Fire Capt. Bob Reinhardt said the brush doesn’t
currently pose a fire risk.
“All the city properties and residences have a good growth of
natural vegetation, but it’s still green, so we’re not too concerned
right now,” he said.
Fire officials will send notices to hillside property owners that
brush must be cleared before June 1, Reinhardt said. The annual
clearings are necessary to prevent fast-growing grasses from drying
over the summer and catching fire in the fall.
Reinhardt said mustard grass, one of the biggest nuisances, grows
as much as 3 to 4 feet each year.
Most residents are used to the annual chore, but Reinhardt said
there are always a few who don’t want to spend the money or effort to
clear their properties.
“Living in Southern California, they have to understand that
everywhere else gets tornadoes or hurricanes, we get brush fires,” he
said.
While officials said it’s too early to predict what the fire
season will look like, Capt. Ron Bell said even when the weather has
been wet, it doesn’t take much to dry out the brush.
“With two to three days of strong Santa Anas, we’re right back in
fire season,” he said.