EL NINO MOISTURE CUTS FIRE RISK.

Byline: Don Holland Daily News Staff Writer

As some Southern California counties brace for a scorching wildfire season, ``June gloom'' is minimizing that danger in Ventura County - at least for now.

Fire season, when agencies boost their response preparedness for brush fires, officially opened in Ventura County only last week, a few weeks later than usual.

And in the Los Padres National Forest, officials are projecting that fires this year will claim only about 2,000 acres - almost nothing compared to last year, when blazes blackened 47,700 acres.

``Right now, because of the amount of rain we had from the recent El Nino, we have a lot of moisture in the ground and in the vegetation,'' said Joe Luna, a public information officer with the Ventura County Fire Department. ``Here in Ventura County, it's still too early to predict what kind of fire season we're going to have.''

Mary Blair, a wildfire prevention officer at the U.S. Forest Service's Ojai station, said coastal low clouds have kept things remarkably cool in the Los Padres National Forest.

``If we continue the way we are, we would not anticipate any large chaparral wildfires,'' Blair said. ``Looking at the factors we deal with, everything is just too high with moisture at this point. And we're not having the hot, dry weather trends. . . . We just don't see that trend so far this year.''

Fearing a ferocious fire season, officials in Los Angeles County have doubled fire-break requirements and are beefing up enforcement efforts. In Ventura County, officials sent out notices to 17,000 property owners to clear brush and weeds 100 feet from their homes, a requirement that Luna said should be adequate to handle this year's fire danger.

Fire officials keep tabs on the threat of wildfires with daily weather reports and regular moisture-content checks of brush. And with the start of fire season, the department has increased its initial brush-fire response from one engine to five engines, a hand crew, bulldozer and a helicopter.

``It's something we go through every year,'' Luna said. ``It's business as usual for us. We're prepared as we are year after year.''

Ben Parker, a forester with the California Department of Forestry, cautioned against complacency.

``By the late summer or early fall, the fuel will be capable of carrying a fire to where it could (burn) extensive areas,'' Parker said. ``A significant wind event, with winds out of the east, and you could have serious problems. It's giving us a break in the early part of the summer here, but it will catch up.''