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Published on 09/01/1999 All articles from this issue

Fire safeguards in place in Los Altos Hills, officials say

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By Wendy Marinaccio

Special to the Town Crier

Several weed and brush clean-up programs safeguard Los Altos Hills and other fire-prone areas - good news after a brush fire earlier this month that came within 11 feet of a home in the hills.

A Santa Clara County Fire Department brush program mainly covers space around homes, said deputy fire marshal Melanie Chase. The goal is to create 30 feet of clearance around each house, which gives enough space to get people out safely and move the fire department in, she said.

Ian Earnest's home at 27766 Stirrup Way in Los Altos Hills borders open space and is part of the hazardous fire area, he said. Flames came dangerously close to his house Aug. 13 when a brush fire started in the open space.

"This year, my neighbors on either side as well as myself took our (clearance area) farther than we usually do," he said. "This is a good thing, as it turns out."

Earnest said the town historically has removed the weeds in the open space, but he doesn't think they did this year. "There is no evidence that it had been done," he said. He hasn't been living at the house recently, however.

He thinks the town should be obligated to put a break between homes and brush in open space.

Mayor Elayne Dauber said the town did cut the weeds in the open space and the fire marshal inspected the area this year. But she said town officials could have overlooked coming back later in the season to ensure brush was under control. She said, "My guess is we did cut the weeds, the fire department said it was fine, they may have grown back and we didn't go and re-cut them." Dauber said she is looking into the situation.

Los Altos Hills also has brush-chipping, garden debris drop-off and Byrne Preserve programs in place for residents of the Los Altos Hills Fire District in the hazardous fire area, said Stu Farwell, fire protection consultant to the fire district. "We are returning their tax dollars in fire prevention programs," Farwell said.

Yearly, the fire district will come to residents' homes to chip their combustible brush. This program has already taken place for 1999, Farwell said. The district also provides funding for a garden debris drop-off that takes place at Foothill College two Saturdays each month.

Farwell said the district also hires the San Jose Conservation Corps to do fire prevention work in the Byrne Preserve, and every other year it hires goats to eat vegetation there.

The Santa Clara County Fire Marshall's Office also runs a hazardous vegetation program which involves all areas of weed growth and problems, Chase said.

Unfortunately, Los Altos Hills and other areas of the county present a high fire danger. "Usually where there's more of a hilly area, that will be a high fire danger," Chase said. She added in Los Altos Hills, there is generally more brush and steeper, narrower streets that make it harder for fire engines to get through.

"Nature intended fires to happen," Chase said. "In some of the areas, there's just an inherent danger."