Crucial Time for Brush Clearance

Southern California fire officials report that citizens are doing a pretty good job of meeting residential brush clearing standards in zones of high fire danger. That’s a relief, considering that the 1999 fire season strikingly resembles an October six years ago.

With an unusual heat wave and dry air, the tremendous growth that sprouted from the El Nino rains of 1997-98 is drying rapidly. That mimics, in every respect except one, the conditions that led to 14 major fires in six Southern California counties in 1993. The toll: 1,000 homes destroyed, 200,000 acres burned.

The one factor fortunately absent this time, at least so far, is strong Santa Ana winds.

Fire hazard is determined by an index that measures the percentage of moisture in plants, according to John Todd, assistant chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s forestry division. Todd said that measurements near and even below critical levels have been found around the county.

That danger level puts a premium on following to the letter local fire department instructions on brush clearance. The danger won’t abate until the region has had two or three inches of steady, soaking rain.

Establishing a well-cleared defensive area around a home can make the difference between saving or losing it if fire comes.