The Southland Is In For a Brutal Fire Season, Authorities Warn

LOS ANGELES, CA — Fire season is coming, and it's going to be a bad one, Southland fire officials warned Thursday.

Authorities are expecting daily outbreaks of vegetation fires due to dry condition and warm weather. Now is the time to protect yourself by clearing brush around homes and other structures. The Southland can expect wildfires potentially scorching hundreds of acres at a time over the next month, and even larger one beginning in July, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby warned.

"Over 90 percent of wildland fires are created by humans," Osby said. "In the months of July and September, as our fuels begin to dry, we are expecting to have fires from 1,500 acres to 5,000 acres, and that includes no wind. Typically around September-October is when we start Santa Ana wind events in Southern California."

Active fire seasons are the new normal, said Thom Porter, chief of the southern region for Cal Fire.

"We are expecting a very active season," he said. "This one has started out at least as active as last season was, as far as number of acres burned. To date, we're ahead of our five-year average statewide. We've had more incidents than our five-year average to date, and it's shaping up to be another very difficult fire season for all of us."

Osby and Porter said residents need to do their part, not only to prevent fires, but to clear as much brush as possible to help stop fires in their tracks and prevent them from reaching structures.

"You as citizens all need to be prepared," Porter said. "You need to do the things that you need to do to provide the defense so we can provide the offense."

Osby said the county expects to again have heavy-duty firefighting aircraft available beginning in mid-August, when the Erickson Skycrane water- dropping helicopter will be put in service locally. On Sept. 1, SuperScooper aircraft from Canada will arrive.

City News Service; File photo courtesy of the Los Angeles County Fire Department