The recent rash of wildfires in Lake County is a pretty good indication just how vulnerable this county is to out-of-control fires. Just about all wildfires are man-made. While most are accidental in nature, some are set on purpose.
One solution toward preventing wildfires would be for the county and cities to establish strict rules on cutting grass. A drive through any part of the county and local cities reveals head-high dead grass and dry brush. Lakeport is a perfect example. There are dozens of lots within the city limits where the grass should have been cut last spring. Some are located within a block or two of the county courthouse. The same scenario can be found throughout the county. In fact, the Cow Mountain Area, located on the outskirts of Lakeport, is little more than a 60,000-acre brush patch. If a fire ever gets started there it would quickly spread to the city limits. That happened once before in 1982. The fire started on the western side of Cow Mountain and within two days had burned all the way to Lakeport.
At one time the county and cities would cite a homeowner for high grass. If the homeowner failed to cut the grass within a reasonable amount of time, the county would hire a contractor to cut the grass and bill the homeowner. If the homeowner failed to pay the bill it would be added to the property tax bill. That worked very well but it appears it is no longer done. I know of one Lakeport resident who has called the fire department numerous times to report uncut head-high grass but nothing is ever done.
As a resident of Lake County, I am always concerned about wildfires. Every morning when I wake up I gaze at beautiful Mount Konocti. But what I see, in addition to the splendor of the mountain itself, are miles of dry brush and hundreds of homes nearby. If a wildfire gets started on the mountain it could sweep down into many homes and cause a massive loss of property and life. With the county park now open on Mount Konocti, I worry that a careless hiker smoking a cigarette will start such a massiv fire. There is a “no smoking” rule for all who visit the park but there are always those few individuals who smoke regardless of the regulations.
Lake County has experienced several major wildfires during the past 30 years. One of the largest was back in 1996 when the Forks Fire burned more than 83,000 acres. It started outside of Upper Lake and burned all the way to Indian Valley Reservoir. Luckily no homes were destroyed but for a time it was feared the fire would swing toward Clear Lake and burn Nice and Lucerne.
Some wildfires are caused by lightning but most are human-caused. For example, many fires start alongside roads and highways because people toss cigarette butts out their car windows. In fact, many of the new cars don’t even come equipped with ashtrays.
On my daily walks along Martin Street and Riggs Road (outside of Lakeport) I count hundreds of discarded cigarette butts in a stretch of only three miles, and this was through very dry country. Any one of these butts could start a major fire.
There is no question that much of the county needs to be controlled burned to prevent major wildfires. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the California Division of Forestry (CDF) or the U.S. Forest Service carries out just about all control burns. Cow Mountain is a good example. Fifty years ago ranchers routinely burned the mountain during the winter months. In fact, Cow Mountain was the site of control burns annually and not only did the burning provide excellent habitat for wildlife, but it also protected the homes in Scotts Valley.
The purpose of control burning is to burn old brush and create new habitat for wildlife and to prevent the spread of fires by creating burn corridors that keep a fire from spreading. Most control burns take place during the fall and winter months when the chance of a fire spreading is minimal.
Wildfires cost millions of dollars to extinguish, but a few pennies of prevention and a little common sense goes a long way in preventing the disasters we’ve seen this year and last.
