The Los Angeles City Fire Department says that as we head into the most dangerous months for fire danger, they need the community's help preventing the worst from happening. Firefighters says there is an abundance of extremely dry brush throughout the Santa Monica Mountains and the Hollywood Hills to fuel a massive fire.
"Historically the Santa Anas [winds] come in October, November, that's when we have our strongest winds," said L.A. Fire Dept. Assistant Chief Andy Fox. "Generally it's one to two days, sometimes three days, in terms of a wind event."
To get the public more involved with fire prevention, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority is posting fire warning signs in brushy hillside communities. The signs include a hotline number for people to call if they see a spark that could ignite a fire or if they see suspicious activity that could lead to a fire.
"This program is a great advance. It adds a hotline so that fire risks can be called in and it adds resources that were unavailable," said Hollywood Hills resident Orrin Feldman.
"We're very dry. It hasn't rained this year at all. Therefore, here on the Santa Monica Mountains along the Mulholland scenic corridor overlooks, we are out posting this sign to make people aware," said L.A. City Councilman Tom LaBonge.
Residents we talked to say living in the hills is breathtaking but they are always mindful that fire could destroy their community quickly.
"It's not just about us who live in the hills," said Hollywood Hills resident Anita Soko. "Obviously there's a fear that a fire would spread throughout all the canyons, Benedict Canyon, Coldwater Canyon, Fryman Canyon, if it were to occur up here."
The Los Angeles Fire Department urges the public to report any suspicious activity or fires by calling the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority at (310) 456-7049.
