Posted on 01/18/2025 5:20:03 AM PST by karpov
LOS ANGELES—Barry Josephson enjoyed a peaceful life in his hilltop home in the Pacific Palisades, save for one constant worry: the highly flammable brush that clogged the surrounding government-owned land.
“We all take a risk living here,” the producer of films including “Enchanted” said. “But that land should be maintained.”
There have been at least five fires in the area since Josephson moved there eight years ago. Most were fueled by brush, which consists of drought-resistant shrubs that burn easily and intensely.
Impatient with government bureaucracy, including a $150 fee for permission to remove brush from state parkland, some of Josephson’s neighbors cleared it on their own.
They might have saved some of their homes. Of 81 houses in the vicinity, Josephson said 54 are still standing amid the wreckage of this month’s Palisades fire, including his. It is particularly remarkable because investigators believe the blaze could have started a few hundred feet away, around a popular hiking destination known as Skull Rock.
As Angelenos absorb the impact of two massive wildfires that killed at least 27 people and damaged or destroyed more than 12,000 structures over the past two weeks, many are asking why so much flammable material was allowed to build up around now-devastated communities. It was particularly dangerous this winter, as vegetation grew quickly following last year’s record rains and dried out in the subsequent drought.
Fire experts said no amount of brush clearing could have stopped flying embers driven by hurricane-strength winds from igniting many buildings that are now rubble and ash.
But better maintenance of the wild lands could have slowed the fires’ growth, providing critical time to first responders and evacuees.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
look at the palms on fire:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/14/la-california-wildfires-private-firefighters
The burning embers up high get blown the greatest distance.
The author knows nothing about the California climate. There is a six month rainy season followed by a six month dry season when no rain falls. It is not a “drought.” It’s the very normal dry season typical of a “Mediterranean climate.” Rainfall varies heavily year to year.
Insurance companies should cover the cost for individuals to clear brush and deadfall. It would be less expensive than rebuilding whole communities.
When I was a County Engineer for an eastern Washington county our emergency management team had a program to educate rural homeowners about clearing their land of underbrush and trim the lower limbs off of the surrounding trees
The rule of thumb is fire will burn twice as high as the object on fire.
So if they kept the cheet grass mowed to 8 inches it would produce a flame height of 16 inches and not produce enough sustained heat to ignite other objects as it burned through the area.
silly to disparage removal of brush - what do you think LAFD has been doing like crazy in L A canyons all week along with digging fire roads as breaks and painting areas w/retardant. common sense tells you that absence of fuel means less fire. i smell political cya.
Earlier in the week, I watched the live feed from the fire to the north.
The cleared fire break line was visible even in the dark as the fire advanced toward it. Suddenly, fire appeared on the far side of the cleared break. In an instant, the fire jumped the break and then continued unimpeded on the other side.
HER “EFFORTS” ARE A MASS FAILURE——
I COULD NEVER MAKE decent pie crust—but it didn’t endanger anyone.
Such “fire experts “ are full of shite. Just like it is totally irrelevant what starts a fire it is irrelevant if an ember floats about. If it does not land on uncleared brush you do not get a wildfire.
I have cheat grass here in N Nevada.
I can PULL UP cheat grass easily by hand-—
“RICE GRASS” is a whole different story.
Had a BUMPER CROP of that in 2024...never had such in prior 19 years.
HAD TO DIG THAT UP-—SHOVEL-—DIG—PULL-—SHAKE OFF SAND—DISCARD INTO LARGE WHEELBARROW & THEN INTO BURN PIT. PULLED 69 BARROWS FULL... KEPT COUNT.
LONG TIME FRIEND ASKED : HOW ARE YOU DOING ALL THIS?
ANSWER: “I HAVE 58 year old shovel & 84 year old shovel operator & I just kept at it. “ He just laughed.
In Santa Cruz:
If the tree removal is not an emergency, complete the tree permit application and return with fees: $50.00 for the first tree and $20.00 for each additional tree plus a 6% technology surcharge fee. Applications for three (3) or more trees may require an Arborist report by a City approved ISA Arborist.
Thats hard work!
yes - but if you watched the prep of fire road in Mandeville Canyon you would have seen the fire stop - saving the canyon and encroachment on Brentwood. nothing is perfect, but to do none of this sort of thing - the Newsom/Bass policy - is criminal.
Nails it. 👍
Yup, those ground crew "fire breaks" are just about worthless when the Santa Ana winds are roaring. They are only good for grass fires when the surrounding acreage is acres of dried out brush.
I know because I cut those narrow breaks when I was 19. I found myself and my crew fighting a fire that had jumped that same break a couple weeks later. We lost control and had to retreat to the "black".
the breaks are part of a total strategy that involves tamping down live fires, allowing some scrub to burn to create fire burn scar, removing additional fuel/clearing brush, painting the area with retardant via aircraft as well as creating fire breaks. this is why Mandeville Canyon did NOT go up with winds still in the area. it’s the best prevention strategy in use but no one can guarantee an ember won’t fly and ignite. but this sort of prevention makes an area more secure. of course this should be done as general maintenance which is not in the Bass/Newsom playbook.
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