Fire Prevention

Children playing with matches touched off a fire recently that burned approximately four acres behind homes on Via Regina, off of San Marcos Road on the north side of Cathedral Oaks Road. The blaze started on County Parks Dept. open space and burned up a brush-covered hillside toward homes on Via Los Santos above the Via Regina neighborhood, said Keith Cullom, public information officer for the County Fire Dept. According to Cullom, the fire required a major response by firefighters to protect homes and extinguish the flames.

The Painted Cave Fire consumed many homes on Via Regina, and hundreds in the general area in 1990, and all on Via Regina were threatened. Consequently, residents of the neighborhood are very aware of fire danger and understandably concerned and anxious when sirens penetrate the atmosphere.

After the recent fire, several homeowners on Via Regina and Via Los Santos contacted Susan Spencer, a supervisor with the Parks Dept., wanting to know what could be done in the future to manage the risk of fire in the open space.

Spencer, who supervises a maintenance crew that takes care of the Via Regina open space, among other duties, walked the neighborhood, talking with residents, and then called the County Fire Department to see if it could help out with clearing vegetation from the acreage.

The Parks Dept. was on scene at the open space the day before the Fire Department's crew was, clearing, "raising up" trees and trimming along the fence lines, Spencer said.

Crew-1B worked on clearing the Via Regina Defensible Space for three days, said Cullom, removing hazardous brush, overgrowth of trees and other flammable vegetation. An area approximately 2 acres by 1,000 ft. was cleared and a dozen dump truck loads of trimmings and chipped brush were recycled.

The County Board of Supervisors voted to support a wildland Fuels Crew this year in an effort to address the over-abundance of natural fuels resulting from last winter's exceptionally high level of rainfall, said Cullom.

The unit provides coverage seven days a week, responding to vegetation fires throughout the county and working aggressively to reduce and abate the hazard level when not fighting fires. The Crew was approved for an assessment period, and will be evaluated near the end of the fire season to determine the value of maintaining it.

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