A fire two weeks ago burned a 2-acre plot near neighborhood
homes in an area that has been a prime location for an annual
summer blaze, and it’s well past the appropriate time for San
Benito County to address the problem and prevent a possible
disaster.
A fire two weeks ago burned a 2-acre plot near neighborhood homes in an area that has been a prime location for an annual summer blaze, and it’s well past the appropriate time for San Benito County to address the problem and prevent a possible disaster.
That particular plot – near R.O. Hardin School and bordered by Powell Street – brings an added complexity because it is a classic case of Hollister’s infill syndrome that leaves many pockets of county land surrounded by city jurisdiction. In this case, even though Hollister has a solid weed abatement program, its officials have no authority to require clean-up by a property owner.
The responsibility falls with the county, whose code enforcement officer has a much larger geographic range to cover than city officials do and who often deals with a bevy of matters such as abandoned vehicles.
Unrestrained weed growth in the open spot – where fire officials say a blaze crops up just about every year, oftentimes caused by kids messing around – must be a high priority because citizens’ safety is at risk, especially during the dry summer months.
And although the fire spot also acts as a microcosm of a much larger problem – the wide expanse of infill that makes a city map look like it has a bad case of the measles – it isn’t the most practical place to start addressing such a massive endeavor because it is, after all, just an empty lot bordered by subdivisions.
In the short term, county officials must target the area as a potential, annual nuisance and they should appropriately penalize the owner if the area becomes prone to fires again next year and in further years to come. In the end, there should be no additional cost to taxpayers because the liability falls with the property owner, as is the case each year when the City of Hollister fines several landowners who neglect to keep their weeds controlled.
Additionally, city officials who recognize the problem’s magnitude should encourage the county, preferably in a formal letter of some kind, to address it before a tragedy occurs with another blaze that, perhaps, fire crews cannot control before it spreads to the homes.
County officials cannot wait for a much more painful lesson before acting. There is plenty of evidence to act now.
