Susan Valot
July 04, 2008
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The combination of dry conditions, warm weather and Fourth of July fireworks has put Orange County fire officials on alert. KPCC's Susan Valot reports.
Susan Valot: Orange County's rolling hillsides, the swaths of land that haven't been developed, are the color of hay this time of year. The brush is so dry it practically crackles when you walk through it.
Thanks to eight years of drought conditions, Orange County Fire Authority Battalion Chief Devin Leonard expects this fire season will be as severe as last. He says even the canyon areas that burned last year aren't out of the woods.
Devin Leonard: You know what,
all of Orange County's at a risk. Even the Santiago Fire from last year, the 29,000 acres that were consumed from that fire, if you drive through the canyons right now, you'll see the vegetation out there is anywhere from four to six feet tall. It's back and it's a fire hazard again.
Valot: Leonard says the dry conditions are a huge concern.
Leonard: Especially when we've got illegal fireworks out there, you know, which are shooting basically ignition devices up into the air, and across the field, and on top of houses, and into crowds. Yeah, it's a huge concern for us.
Valot: Last year, fireworks sparked small fires that caused nearly $125,000 in property damage in Orange County. Three years ago, fireworks started a wildfire in Yorba Linda that burned more than a thousand acres. Twenty-three agencies had to help put it out before it could threaten homes.
