One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.
Monrovia fire was first of what firefighters expect to be a hot, dry and difficult season
A Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopter drops water on a fire burning in the Monrovia foothills on April 20th.
(
John Antczak/AP
)
Listen
1:40
Monrovia fire was first of what firefighters expect to be a hot, dry and difficult season
The brush fire in Monrovia over the weekend gave the community a scare when it burned 125 acres and forced the evacuation of 200 homes for nearly a day. Fire officials say it was the first large fire was the first in what could be a long, hot, dry and dangerous season
The fire was started after a gardener accidentally ignited some brush with his equipment. Monrovia Fire Chief Chris Donovan says what happened next says a lot about the summer to come.
"We found that the fire burned extremely hot, it burned very fast and rapid uphill and it spread pretty quick," Donovan recalls. "This is an indication of a very early fire season that will be very intense here in Southern California."
He says a few things are to blame for this potentially dangerous season. First of all, it's dry. This year is on track to be Southern California's fourth driest on record. L.A. has seen just a paltry 5.14 inches of rain this winter and spring.
But adding to the problem is the fact that large parts of the region haven't burned in decades. That worries Richard Minnich, professor of Earth Sciences at the University of California, Riverside.
The area that burned this weekend hadn't seen a fire in more than 50 years. But Minnich says nearby peaks have gone even longer without a fire.
"For ,example Monrovia peak was last burned in 1924," he notes. "It's an explosive carpet bomb basically ready to go off from Monrovia all the way over that mountain and down to the San Gabriel river on the other side."
Sponsored message
UC Riverside's Richard Minnich says fires are an important part of maintaining an area's ecosystem. He says the best approach is to allow controlled burns during the summer when the winds tend to blow away from populated areas.
In addition to Monrovia peak, Minnich says parts of the San Bernardino and Santa Ana mountains are also ripe for a big fire.
Monrovia Fire Chief Chris Donovan agrees that old chaparral is a problem. He's advising residents in fire zones to clear all brush around their homes up to a distance of 200 feet.
Gazing up at the San Gabriel foothills, Donovan says he sees something more menacing than a peaceful view.
"For most fire chiefs...what we see year round is a threat," he remarks.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
