The recent Southland fires that came close to some inhabited areas in Riverside County have sparked early fire worries for Malibu residents who have seen their share of raging infernos in the past decade.
By Sylvie Belmond/Special to The Malibu Times
The image of weary Malibu residents trying desperately to keep the flames of a wildfire at bay while standing on a roof with a garden hose is not one many want to repeat.
But this year, the possibility of new fires in Malibu and around the Southland is amplified because the winter months have produced little to no rain. Magnifying the problem is the lack of any major fires in the area in recent years, leaving brush denser and dryer than ever.
This may mean the fire season will last longer than usual.
“We are going to have fires throughout the summer,” said Mike Dyer, Los Angeles Fire Department fire assistant chief. “More fires than we normally would have had because the fuel moisture content is so low.”
The fires will also be harder to control because fuel moisture is already at August levels, he said, something that has not happened in California in a very long time.
But fires that end up in Malibu don’t often start here. Most of them originate on the other side of the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando and Conejo valley areas or in the canyons. Dry winds drive them to Malibu, as was the case in three major fires that scorched Malibu in the 1990s.
The canyons have not burned for many years and the danger is higher with every year that passes without a fire. Topanga burned in 1993, Malibu Canyon in 1996 and Kanan Dume in 1985. Lives and homes were lost in those fires.
Allen Emerson, who has volunteered with Arson Watch for almost 20 years, said the most devastating fires start in the Valley. In 1982 the Dayton Canyon fire was deliberately set by a teenager, he said. This is when the idea of Arson Watch came about.
“We are mostly a preventive group and focus on high visibility to discourage people from setting fires,” he said.
As he spoke about this year’s increased fire dangers, Emerson suggested parents should sit down and talk with their teens and children about how dangerous it is to have fire works or use matches.
He also advised that if someone is observed throwing a cigarette out of a car, the witness should take his or her license plate and call the California Highway Patrol.
Other precautions should be taken at home. Dyer advises homeowners to cautiously, but surely, clear brush around their homes.
They should also look at their house and make sure that it is as fire safe as possible, Dyer said. Check roofs for leaves and debris, check that windows are well sealed, trim nearby trees and do not have wood stacked up around the house, he suggested.
To ensure that people clear their property in a timely manner, the fire department has already started to inspect properties for brush clearance compliance.
At a Chamber of Commerce meeting last year, Dyer also prepared residents for a fire-prone year and he highlighted the importance of escape route plans.
Malibu is especially vulnerable and escape routes can be tough to come by, given the limited number of in-and-out routes in certain canyons.
The department also recommends that people know where residential assembly points are for areas they frequent or reside in.
In Malibu, the gathering points include: PCH and Big Rock Drive, PCH and Topanga Canyon Road, PCH and Sunset, Malibu High school, PCH and Corral Canyon Road, Cross Creek Road and Civic Center Way, and Trancas Market.
But even as the fire department is working to reduce fire risks, hoping to use controlled burns as a means, other state and national agencies would rather use other approaches to reduce fire danger.
The National Park Service (NPS), which owns parkland in the western end of Malibu, does not have any plans for prescribed (controlled) fires in the area because it is not sure they are as effective as initially hoped.
“The best way to reduce fuel danger is by doing mechanical clearance,” said Corrina Marote NPS fire management officer.
Meanwhile, the L.A. County Fire Department wants to convince the NPS and other agencies that prescribed burns are necessary, because it believes it is an effective way to minimize fire danger.
Recently, the fire department, in conjunction with the NPS and other agencies, did a controlled burn in Cheseboro Canyon, a national park area near Agoura Hills.
“We’re trying to show them it’s not so bad,” Dyer said.
But no matter the reason, prescribed burns require caution.
“We only do our prescribed burns within strict conditions to avoid the danger of spreading the fire,” Dyer said.
If conditions are not right, the department will not do any burns, he explained.
The department continues to work with the national and state park agencies because it feels there are critical areas that should be treated.
“That will give us a fighting chance,” Dyer said.