Fairfield Mum On Why Brush Wasn't Cleared Before Grass Fire Destroyed Homes
FAIRFIELD (CBS13) — Two days after a fire ripped through a Fairfield neighborhood, destroying five homes and damaging 10 others, neighbors are asking who is responsible for unmaintained dry brush.
They're meeting with city officials to figure out what went wrong.
On the other side of the burned-down homes, you see dry vegetation. CBS13 asked city officials who is responsible for cutting it down.
Their answer: "We're looking into it."
George Hicks is in charge of the Department of Public Works for the city of Fairfield. His crews are responsible for trimming all city vegetation to avoid fire dangers like Tuesday's blaze.
CBS13 wanted to know if his department was responsible for the uncut dry vegetation that fueled the flames Tuesday behind homes on Marigold Drive.
"I don't want to speculate."
Hicks continued to avoid the question.
"I'm just upset it came to this to realize, 'Hey we should have cut that grass back there," said resident Jessie Shields.
Many neighbors say they have been calling the city for years about the problem.
"We called and they said they were going to come out, and they'd never come out." Ron & Pam Delapa
Some say the city will cut it from time to time.
"It's very rarely trimmed down. Most of time you look back there its very heavy vegetation," said resident Darrol Brill.
City officials offered social services to fire victims, but also promised we'd get answers about the uncut brush behind their homes.
We pressed Hicks about that.
"I don't have the information at this time," he said. When pressed about getting an answer about whose responsibility the brush falls under, "We're looking into it."
