To the editor: In Might 2022, some residents of Laguna Niguel misplaced their houses within the Coastal fireplace, which began in Aliso Canyon. It was as if they’d witnessed a rerun of the L.A. Fireplace Division’s movie concerning the 1961 Bel-Air fireplace, “Design for Catastrophe,” cited in Jenny Jarvie’s excellent article.
I first noticed that movie within the early Seventies at an Orange County Planning Fee listening to, the place improvement was being thought-about for the ridgetops south of Aliso Canyon. A firefighter veteran of the Bel-Air inferno confirmed the movie and pleaded with the fee to not approve improvement on the ridgetops.
He mentioned this was essentially the most harmful place to place houses and warned of the “chimney impact,” the place fires burning up slopes improve in top and hazard.
His warning was ignored. Ridgetop improvement was accepted.
Regardless of the promised 100-foot irrigated setback, the homes had been constructed out to the sting. Thinning the vegetation on the slopes would supposedly cut back the hearth hazard, nevertheless it didn’t stop losses from the Coastal fireplace. Even a hearth entry highway beneath the houses made no distinction. The chimney impact pushed flying embers into the air, setting homes alongside the sting ablaze.
Builders made some huge cash from having extra heaps to promote with higher views. The patrons, unaware of the warnings and voided protections, relied on the federal government to approve secure constructing websites. The owners paid a horrible worth.
Political compromises with fireplace realities have proved tragic time after time.
Ann Christoph, Laguna Seashore
The author is a panorama architect and former mayor of Laguna Seashore.
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To the editor: Like they did in Santa Rosa after their disastrous wind-driven fireplace in 2017, you may rebuild with non-flammable house supplies and succulents. However driving by way of Bel-Air and Brentwood lately — and it’s the identical in lots of areas in SoCal — I seen a plethora of palm, eucalyptus and pine bushes that had been useless or emaciated close to houses.
With local weather change rising the probability of wind-driven fires, what’s the answer to avert an virtually sure catastrophe?
It’s an unimaginable, unrealistic aim to easily take away all of those bushes. Merely having clearance round these houses just isn’t sufficient when there’s a wind-driven fireplace storm.
I want I had a easy reply.
John Szabo, Newport Seashore
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To the editor: Please remind me why anybody thinks it’s a good suggestion to encourage and promote the constructing of accent dwelling models on properties in hillsides and canyons.
In my humble opinion, much less density, no more, is what we want in these areas.
Emily Loughran, Los Angeles
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To the editor: What number of occasions have we heard that there’s a homelessness downside that may be solved by constructing extra houses?
We’re advised that the issue is so acute that we have to fast-track the allowing course of. Eliminate these pesky environmental experiences, ignore fireplace rules and get these houses constructed!
It’s not a “failure to be taught.” Quite, it’s political expediency fueled by greed (or is it the opposite approach round?).
Gregg Ferry, Carlsbad
