CHULA VISTA (KGTV) — Chula Vista firefighters were clearing brush in Rice Canyon on Wednesday to create a buffer between wildfire danger and nearby homes.
The Chula Vista Fire Department's hand crew is using chain saws and an assembly-line system to pile branches into a masticator, which grinds the material into mulch.
Captain Andy Wilson with the Chula Vista Fire Department said Rice Canyon has been identified as a high fire hazard zone by both the city and the state.
Wilson said the City owns more than 10,000 acres of open space, with about 1,100 acres identified as direct wildland-urban interface which needs clearing.
Wilson said the canyon hasn't seen a fire in years, leaving behind brush that is decades old and extremely dense — posing a significant threat to nearby homes, including those along Camino Biscay.
"If there's ever a large wind-driven fire here, the City is going to have a hard time knocking all the fire down, and so we have to be proactive," Wilson said.
Chula Vista resident Nora Lopez watched as the hand crews worked.
"I love it because during this time, especially, it's very dry," Lopez said.
Lopez said she is also grateful for the work because it is clearing out rattlesnakes from the area. She said one of her dogs was bitten twice by a rattlesnake and did not survive the second bite.
Resident Don Faddis, who has lived along the canyon for 30 years, said he had been waiting for this work to be done for some time.
"Through the years, they haven't done anything major. I've done a little bit myself too. I was really happy to see them coming," Faddis said.
Chula Vista is one of the only cities in California with its own in-house hand crew.
The hand crews are operating under a pilot program called the Hazardous Fuels Reduction Program. What started as a 10-person program three years ago has grown to more than 30 members currently. The program was set to expire in September, but just received a one-year extension through more city and state grants. The Chula Vista Fire Department hopes to make the program a permanent part of its wildfire prevention efforts.
Wilson said the hand crews are expected to be back Thursday and will continue working in Rice Canyon for the foreseeable future.
