Controlled burn in Lafayette by Moraga-Orinda Fire District aims to reduce wildfire hazard
As wildfires continue to rage in Southern California, firefighters in Contra Costa County on Thursday were working to mitigate fire danger in the East Bay with a prescribed burn.
Purposely setting fires to clear brush under the right conditions has long been a part of the state's fire-abatement strategy. The Moraga-Orinda Fire Protection District conducted the prescribed burn along the Moraga-Lafayette border.
The burn was conducted near North Lucille Lane and Peacock Boulevard in Lafayette in the open space behind homes.
"So this crew has been working for a couple weeks now, burning pile material that we worked on all last summer in this East Bay Hills fuel break," explained Dennis Rein, Prescribed Fire Program Manager for the Moraga-Orinda Fire District.
Taking advantage of ideal weather for the job, hand crews burned through debris that was cleared away over the past months. It was done much to the delight of concerned neighbors on the edge of Lafayette.
"It is very reassuring, because my nephew just lost his home in Altadena," said Karen, who was watching the work behind her home, thinking about her family in Southern California. "My nephew just saw his home on the television and noticed that it had been burned down. My other relatives have evacuated."
While there hasn't been a fire in this spot, the risk of wildfire has already affected those living here.
"We've all lost our insurance. One of the reasons was supposedly a history of fire on this hill, but that's not true," said Greg Smith, who had to find an insurance provider on the east coast.
"It was really a shock to us, because it just came out of the blue," Smith said. "All of us have different insurance companies and we all lost our insurance. I have to be scrambling to get insurance. Fortunately it has worked out for most of us."
But the work unfolding on the hillside Thursday wasn't anything driven by recent developments.
"We started the work here with the project called the North Orinda shaded fuel break way back in 2019," Rein said of the work.
KPIX covered that work when it started back in 2019. It was part of Gavin Newsom's very first objective upon becoming Governor. He declared an emergency, started purchasing new air resources, and launched a statewide risk-management strategy that continues to this day on these very hillsides.
But when Rein sees what's happening in the Los Angeles area, he sees something that may eclipse anyone's ability to prepare.
"Yeah, when the conditions are right for a wildfire," Rein said. "I feel for the fire crews that are in Southern California. With those high winds and low humidity and no rain since early in the year last year, it's really a tough situation down there."
So the work continues to reduce the risk. And that is a job that is never really finished.
"If you think about it. As soon as you cut vegetation, it will start growing back," Rein said. "So once we put in a fuel break, shaded fuel break, it's an issue with maintaining that."
It's not just a hand cruise. The fire district is using goats and cows and mechanical equipment to do as much work on open space like this as they can before the summer months. That means neighbors will be seeing more of these prescribed burns as long as the weather allows for them.
