BRUSH CLEARANCE A BURNING ISSUE.

Byline: Usha Sutliff Staff Writer

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE - The City Council tonight will consider a plan to clear an area of dry brush above the city that the county Fire Department says presents an extreme fire risk to residents.

``The Los Angeles County Fire Department feels that the most hazardous area in all of Los Angeles County is the foothills of La Canada Flintridge,'' said John Harris, a battalion chief with the county Fire Department. ``This is due to the heavy timber growth of the area.''

The Fire Department wants to do prescribed burns on up to 200 acres in Winery and Hall Beckley canyons, two areas on either side of Alta Canyada Road that haven't burned since 1933.

If the brush is not cleared, Harris said, it could spell disaster for the community.

``If a wind-driven fire came down the hill with a wind of greater than 20 mph (and) got established in the trees, we'd have a crown fire go across the top of the trees followed by a ground fire,'' he said. ``Everything in there would be incinerated - homes, cars and people.''

While about 400 homes are in the ``real bad area,'' if a fire got started thousands of homes would be affected as the fire swept toward Foothill Boulevard, he said.

The Fire Department plans to use a large machine to literally roll over the brush, crushing it down to about 18 inches.

Then, during cloudy weather, the department wants to burn between 20 acres and 40 acres a day, according to Harris.

``We are very, very cautious and very, very conservative in our burning. . . . It's going to be a little bit here and a little bit there and it's going to buy us a little room,'' Harris said, noting that none of the burns will take place during fire season.

On Thursday, more than 100 community members learned about the plan during a meeting at Descanso Gardens.

Mayor David Spence said the response was mostly positive.

``I felt after I left that meeting that everybody who was there felt that they had their one burning question, pardon the pun . . . answered,'' Spence said.

The concerns raised centered mostly on whether the prescribed burns would affect the hillsides' wildlife, which includes mountain lions, coyotes and deer.

Harris conceded that some wildlife, particularly smaller animals such as rodents and snakes, might be killed during the burns.

But, he added, ``the amount of wildlife lost will be a small fraction compared to what would be lost in a wind-driven wildfire because all of the wildlife then is lost.''

The mayor said he is in favor of the plan and expects that his fellow council members will also vote for it.

``I'm hoping that the rest of the council will feel that it's a positive plan put out by the county Fire Department,'' he said.

Tonight's meeting will start at 6 at City Hall, 1327 Foothill Blvd. For more information, call [phone].