Officials Warn Of Upcoming Bad Fire Season
RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — Expect one of the worst wildfire seasons on record, fire officials warned Monday.
Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby said El Nino brought just enough rain to fuel the growth of grass and brush that can drive fires during the dry summer months.
"There is a significant amount of dead fuels in the region, as indicated by the fire that we had last week in Topanga, the Calabasas area," Osby said. "We had a fire there that burned over 500 acres. We had to evacuate over 5,000 people. That fire was unprecedented in this region. Typically the fuels are not dry enough in this region until late summer or fall to have a fire there. So that could be an indicator in relation to this upcoming fire season."
"We've seen a big change in our brush growth this year," Riverside fire Chief Michael Moore said. "So some of our annual crops, our grass, are a lot higher than they previously have been. We do still have some of our dead trees in the local mountains that will create problems for us, so we're expecting, as you have heard before, one of the worst fire seasons ever."
Residents living in wildfire-prone areas need to act now and clear the brush from around their homes and create an evacuation plan if a fire breaks out, Moore said.
"Being prepared to go and being able to leave early, getting your bags packed and knowing what your escape routes will be -- and then when we have those evacuations that come into play they're ready to leave early," he said.
Dave Teter, deputy director for fire protection programs for Cal Fire, said Southern California has largely been spared in recent years from large-scale, damaging wildfires.
"It is only a matter of time, so the time to begin to prepare is now," he said. "Despite the cool, foggy weather that we're under this morning, it will not last, and the Santa Ana winds will be upon us before we know it. Residents must be prepared for the inevitable wildfires, because it is part of living in this beautiful state."
Cal Fire has a website that provides tips on how to prepare for wildfire season.
