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Avoid a devastating fire. Plan ahead
The good news is that Pacifica was not devastated by a firestorm as
southern California was in recent days. The bad news is simple. We are
vulnerable, very vulnerable. All we need are a couple of weeks of hot
weather and offshore winds to de-humidify Montara Mountain, and one spark.
The mountain has been building fuel for somewhere between 30 and 67 years.
When I hiked half way up the mountain in 1986, I saw the fuel buildup from
the previous decade, when I had gone the same route. I was concerned enough
about the fuel load in 1986 to comment then to the Director of Public
Safety. Obviously the last 17 years have only added to the problem.
Pacifica's Eucalyptus groves are so picturesque they inspire some foolish
folks to demand that they be treated like sacred cows. Of course there are
responsible property owners who realize the enormity of the problem and
look for ways to cut down on the danger. Eucalyptus burn under some
circumstances as if they were cans of gasoline. How ironic that in the past
certain people who will lose nothing if the Eucs burn have demanded the
City Council preserve them at all costs.
A good portion of Montara Mountain is now in public ownership. The county
and the state have much of the responsibility for the Pampas Grass and the
Eucalyptus on the mountain. It's likely that the worst fires would start in
San Pedro Valley Park or McNee Ranch State Park, which abuts the southern
flanks of Pacifica just beyond Springwood and Perez Drives.
If anybody asked me, I would recommend that county and/or state crews build
fire trails during the next several winters and springs, and haul out a
great deal of the tangles of brush and debris that have accumulated. Start
at the south and east edges of Linda Mar. Work up the mountain, perhaps
using small controlled burns in the damp parts of the year. Eliminate
quantities of Eucalyptus and grub out the dead brush that litters the
mountain. Once a fire gets started on the mountainside as it is presently
constituted, all of Linda Mar might burn.
Fire suppression is fiercely expensive. Well-planned fire prevention is
cheap. It can be scheduled in advance, and use unpaid crews, such as county
jail prisoners. But to be well-planned, it has be thought out far in
advance. Now is not too soon to plan for the danger that will occur next
summer and fall, and the summers and falls after that.
There hasn't been a major fire, one difficult to keep within bounds, for a
long time. But it has happened. Russ Conroy, whose memories went back over
80 years, talked about a fire in 1936 that burned from Montara Mountain to
Vallemar. Seventy years ago such a fire didn't mean that much. Today it
might devastate thousands of homes worth several hundred thousand each.
What's worse, I'm talking about my home, and perhaps yours, and the homes
of our friends and neighbors.
We've seen what happens each night on TV lately. We know it can be
devastating. And it can happen here. But it doesn't have to do so. Let's
just think ahead. It's not too soon to start.
Paul Azevedo has written this column of his personal opinions for almost
three decades. His opinions are his own. E mail him at Paul@thereactor.net.
Check The Reactor's website at www.thereactor.net.
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