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Brush clearing business helping mitigate wildfire risk
An Arizona landscape business has seen an uptick in requests to help clear dry brush from homes to prevent wildfires that have cause massive destruction in California. FOX 10's Lindsey Ragas has more.
PHOENIX - These devastating fires in California have some people in the Valley keeping a closer eye on brush in their backyards, hoping to prevent wildfires that can burn homes and everything inside.
Businesses offer brush-clearing services to those in the Valley for preventative measures. Cutting down brush is the first step to reduce the risk of fires.
That's when landscapers like Christopher Effort step in.
"We're trying to get rid of brush. Brush around your home, empty lots, there's a lot of parts in the Valley that have dead brush. That's fuel for a fire just waiting for somebody to flick a cigarette or a chain to spark." Effort says.
Requests for Effort's services through his company, Exclusive Deals Tree Services, picked up steam last week as news of the Los Angeles wildfires began to spread.
"I know Arizona has wildfires and I have family in California as well and I can't imagine that happening here," he said.
"One of my family members, they were going to move into another house. It burned down in that fire. They were going to move in this month but it burnt down in that fire, so I'm like, ‘what can we do here in Arizona to prevent that same thing from happening?’"
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The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management says crews are working fires daily in Arizona.
The biggest one currently is the Horton Fire in Payson.
"We do know that there are areas that are just completely dry that have been untouched by fire over the last couple of years," said Tiffany Davila of AZDFFM.
"When we're prepositioning crews, (we target) areas that have overgrown vegetation like grass and brush," she adds.
Effort has tips on how you can do your part for your property.
"Generally about 30 feet around your home, you want to have a clear area of no brush. Around your house, you want to make sure trees are trimmed, not overgrowing on top of your house as well," he said.
The goal is to keep a potential fire low to the ground and away from any reaching trees that could turn it into a bigger fire.