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.