As firefighters continue to battle blazes throughout Los Angeles County, Beverly Hills officials seek to reassure residents that sufficient preventive measures are being taken to guard against flames reaching the city.
At press time, the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades had burned 23,713 acres and was at 22% containment. Officials have confirmed eight fatalities and three injuries with 2,869 structures destroyed and 508 damaged.
The Eaton Fire in Altadena had burned 14,117 acres and was at 55% containment. Officials have confirmed 16 fatalities and six injuries, along with 5,356 structures destroyed and 613 damaged.
Speaking to the Beverly Hills Courier, Beverly Hills Fire Chief Greg Barton offered details on the current threat to the city, Beverly Hills’ history of preventive actions and practical information residents can use to ensure their own safety and that of their community.
“The city of Beverly Hills has always been very proactive and forward thinking,” said Barton, “especially with regards to wildland fires.”
Following the rapid spread of the Palisades Fire, the Eaton Fire and several other smaller blazes last week, much of L.A. County remained under a red flag warning issued this week by the National Weather Service. Some portions of Eastern L.A. County and neighboring Ventura County areas were under an even more severe “Particularly Dangerous Situation” (PDS) warning.
Those warnings expired for most of L.A. and Ventura Counties at 6 p.m. Wednesday, with the exception of several small areas where high winds were expected.
Barton said firefighters are working hard to combat nearby flames but asked residents to remain vigilant.
“I feel very comfortable right now with the progress the firefighters are making on the fires surrounding Beverly Hills,” he said. “However, residents still need to be diligent, and if they see something, please call 911 so that we can address it right away.”
Beverly Hills has long been a leader in fire preparedness. Since 2005, the city has been credited as a Firewise USA site. That designation, given by the National Fire Protection Association, means the municipality has met certain criteria for fire prevention.
In the case of Beverly Hills, those criteria included working with a representative from the United States Fire Service to assess the hillside area north of Sunset Boulevard, which is designated by California as a very high fire hazard severity zone.
“[The representative] came and did an assessment for us and created a plan of what to do, and that was what we used to base our decisions moving forward,” said Barton.
Those decisions included implementing increased communication with residents, putting up signage for evacuation routes, and the installation of information boxes for visiting firefighters in the event of an emergency, among other actions.
Officials also conduct annual inspections of the area north of Sunset beginning each April, but Barton emphasizes that residents have a year-round responsibility to maintain brush clearance and ensure their homes are up to code.
That means installing a Class A roof, protecting eaves with the condition-resistant materials and covering vents.
The full list of best practices for brush clearing and home construction is available at beverlyhills.org/DocumentCenter/View/3081/Brush-Clearance-Brochure-and-Evacuation-Routes-PDF.
With regards to dangers still facing the city, Barton noted that the majority of fires are started by embers.
“They’ll land in vegetation, or they’ll land on wood roofs or some type of vulnerable part of the structure, and they will get the structure ignited at that point,” he said.
There is little, if anything, residents or firefighters can do to reduce the likelihood of embers traveling by wind, but the same protective measures—good brush clearance and fire-resistant construction—are still the best means of prevention.
To that end, Barton said Beverly Hills residents have been great collaborators.
“I want to thank the community for their brush clearance and the community being proactive,” he said. “It is definitely a partnership between the fire department and the residents.”
In response to the suggestion that nearby cities may not be as proactive, Barton noted that the city is doing all it can to help.
“Beverly Hills has the ability to enforce codes in Beverly Hills,” he said. “However, we are working with our partners to ensure that they are doing the proper clearance on on neighboring properties that directly affect the city of Beverly Hills.”
During a recent Rotary Club of Beverly Hills luncheon, Barton (who is also the organization’s president) fielded a series of questions about the availability of water in the city. The inquiries came amid reports that fire hydrants in Altadena and Pacific Palisades ran out of water as firefighters attempted to battle blazes in each respective area.
Barton assured residents that this is not a concern in Beverly Hills. In addition to being well-resourced in terms of available water, he noted that the city has emergency connections with the Department of Water and Power on one side and then Metropolitan Water District on the other.
“There’s plenty of water in the hydrants,” he said. “We’ve never drained down. We’re just fine. You don’t have to worry about that.”
Barton and Mayor Lester Friedman have released regular video updates about the fires online, and on Jan. 15, released their final report.
“Unless new conditions warrant, this will be our final video briefing from the emergency op center,” said Friedman. “You will be notified directly from the city of Beverly Hills if conditions change, and you need to take any action.”
Barton used the moment to assure residents once again that the city is as equipped as possible should any fires make their way through.
“I do want to reassure the community, the city of Beverly Hills, we are very well prepared as a city and as a community,” he said.
