[Water_news] 2. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: SUPPLY - 4/17/08

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April 17, 2008

 

2. Supply -

 

 

 

Early dry weather ignites concern

Fire officials say vigilance needed to avoid blazes

Whittier Daily News – 4/16/08

By Jerry Berrios, Staff Writer

With fire season rapidly approaching, firefighters and homeowners across Southern California are bracing for a scorching summer amid concerns that potentially hotter-than-normal temperatures and fierce Santa Ana winds could ignite blazes even worse than last year's devastating wildfires.

 

Last year, fueled by the driest year on record in Los Angeles, massive wildfires throughout Southern California destroyed hundreds of homes and scorched more than 500,000 acres.

 

"It's the worst fire season ever, this one coming up," said Los Angeles Fire Department Assistant Chief Greg West.

Then again, he added, "They are all bad."

 

Last year's wildfires, which struck hard in Malibu, Canyon Country, San Diego and Santa Barbara, came after only 3.2 inches of rain fell in downtown L.A. from July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007. A normal year sees about 15 inches.

 

This year's fire season is arriving after a wetter winter; downtown has already seen roughly 13 inches of rain since July1.

 

But some experts say that has simply led to a growth in vegetation - literally more fuel for the fires. And they note it hasn't rained recently - and it's going to be a hot summer.

 

There's a 40 percent chance of above-normal temperatures from May through September, said Rich Thompson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

And that heat will dry out vegetation right as Santa Ana winds begin their typical swing through Southern California in September, October and November.

 

Fire and weather experts say the severity of this fire season will depend on those Santa Ana winds and if all the factors fall into place to put this year in the record books.

 

"We always have the potential to have a bad fire season in Southern California," said Candace Gregory, Cal Fire's Southern California Region Chief. "Traditionally the large and damaging fires occur in the fall."

 

But there is a glimmer of hope.

 

"There is more fuel in place to burn, but we are off to a slower start because at this time last year we were already in the fire season," said David Gomberg, a meteorologist and fire-weather program manager for the National Weather Service in Oxnard.

 

Still, the human factor during fire season can't be overlooked, said Bill Patzert, a research scientist with Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Ca ada Flintridge.

And L.A.'s growing population - that has expanded with development into high-risk areas frequented by the Santa Ana winds - hasn't helped, he said.

"The building permits are being handed out like Big Macs," Patzert said. "What we have done is set us up for big fire seasons."

 

With the elements for a bad fire season all in place, it ultimately will be up for Mother Nature to decide.

 

"There is a high fuel load, huge population density in high-risk areas, the ecosystem has been altered by too much firefighting," Patzert said.

"The fuse has definitely been primed."

 

Firefighters already are preparing for the fire season, which should start in mid-May.

 

Los Angeles city firefighters are setting up their training now with counterparts in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, LAFD's West said. They usually do that at the end of May.

 

"We are a little ahead this year because of what is coming up," West said.

 

State firefighters also are already training for the upcoming fire season, Cal Fire's Gregory said. The agency is in the process of hiring about 2,000 seasonal employees for the summer, she said.

 

The U.S. Forest Service is gearing up with its seasonal staff and expects to have more than 4,000 firefighters in California, said Jason Kirchner, a service spokesman based in Vallejo.

 

"Fire season is a time when everyone needs to heighten their awareness of their surroundings," said Frank Garrido, an inspector with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

 

"What can burn, will burn."

 

He recommends residents pay close attention to the winds and brush clearance around their homes.

 

Some homeowners, like Sunland resident Bill Skiles, are ready.

 

A contractor cleared the underbrush and the low-lying branches from around his home earlier this month in an annual ritual that heralds the arrival of summer and that dreaded fire season.

 

Skiles goes beyond just clearing the brush.

 

The majority of the landscaping around his home is native and on a fire-department-recommended list. His roof is made of concrete tile to lessen the chance of fire.

The retired Los Angeles city analyst is ready in case fire creeps up the Verdugo Hills and near his home.

 

"Fire is a danger and if you are going to live in and around these hills you have to be aware of it," Skiles said. "...You just take all the measures you need to take." #

http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_8953181