SOUTHLAND TO GET SUPERSCOOPERS EARLY : WHEN PRAYING FOR RAIN ISN'T ENOUGH.

Byline: David Bloom Daily News Staff Writer

Saying fire conditions are the worst since 1987, Los Angeles County officials said Thursday they will bring in two SuperScooper air tankers next week - one month ahead of schedule - to help battle wildfires.

``We are in a very critical fire situation right now,'' said county Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman. ``We're praying for rain.''

Freeman spoke at a downtown news conference as the Marple Fire near Castaic continued to rage out of control.

A dry winter and hot summer a year after heavy 1994-95 rainfall have resulted in the hills being covered with dry, flammable dead plant material, Freeman said.

Fuel moisture, a key indicator of flammability, has dropped to 63 percent, far below the 75 percent or 76 percent usual for this time of year and perilously near the ``critical'' level of 60 percent, said Assistant Chief Herb Spitzer of the department's Forestry Division.

In the past 15 years, Spitzer said, the area's moisture levels have been lower this early only in 1987, in the middle of a six-year drought.

``Normally, the conditions we see out there today are conditions we would see in the middle of October,'' Freeman said. ``We're a month ahead of schedule.''

Most of the firefighting aircraft available in the region are being used on the Marple Fire and others, Freeman said, so the department will bring in two SuperScooper planes early from Quebec, Canada. They will arrive Sept. 6, a month ahead of schedule, Freeman said.

Depending on how heavily the planes are used, their early arrival will add $500,000 to $700,000 to the previously approved $1.2 million contract, Freeman said.

County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich said he will bring a motion Tuesday to the Board of Supervisors to authorize the contract extension. Because of the board's previous support and the worsening fire situation, Antonovich said he expects no problems in getting the motion passed.

Freeman said the Canadair CL-215T planes, which each can dump 1,400 gallons of water on a fire and quickly refill tanks by skimming across the surface of nearby lakes, aren't the only answer to firefighting problems this fall.

``The SuperScoopers are not a panacea. They're another tool,'' Freeman said.

Residents in high-fire-hazard areas should make sure they have cleared brush, he said, and be very careful with potential fire starters.

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