A resident's concerns and a recent fire led Placerville City Council members to call for a workshop on the subject of defensible space and how to deal with properties that pose neighborhood fire hazards.
Al Stark, a resident of Coloma Street, asked the council last week to consider adopting an ordinance that would allow the city or fire agency to clear overgrown vegetation from vacant lots next to residential property if the owner of the vacant lot failed to do so.
Stark said he lives in a duplex that is next to an overgrown lot. The heavy vegetation on the vacant lot prevents creation of the recommended 100 feet of defensible space around neighboring residences, he said.
"I don't think we want an Angora fire in Placerville," Stark said, referring to the blaze that destroyed 254 homes near South Lake Tahoe last year.
Mark Johnson, assistant chief with the El Dorado County Fire Protection District, which serves the city, said state fire regulations require property owners to maintain a fire-safe clearance of 100 feet around a structure, or to the property line. The city also requires clearing vegetation within 30 feet of a fence or roadway.
Complaints about overgrown lots may be filed with the fire district's administrative office in Camino. If an investigation confirms the problem, Johnson said, the property owner is notified and given 14 days to clean up the lot. If the owner fails to act, the city can undertake the cleanup and bill the property owner or place a lien on the property to recover the cost, he said.
Council members said a recent fire on Hazzard Street illustrated the problem of neglected lots. Quick action by firefighters and police prevented the fire from spreading to neighboring residences, Councilman Mark Acuna said.
"I don't think we need any more of a wake-up call than that," he said.
Other council members said they had observed overgrown lots when they visited various neighborhoods during the National Night Out.
Johnson recommended establishing a fire-safe council to target neighborhood fire hazards.
Acuna asked the city staff to schedule a workshop with Johnson and Vicki Yorty, coordinator of the El Dorado County Fire Safe Council, for the City Council's Aug. 26 meeting, if possible.
Call The Bee's Cathy Locke, (916) 608-7451.
