CRESCENTA VALLEY, A COMMUNITY AT RISK Sample Clauses

CRESCENTA VALLEY, A COMMUNITY AT RISK. The unincorporated hillside community of Crescenta Valley includes a Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) with Angeles National Forest. That puts Crescenta Valley at great risk from wildfires, a problem exacerbated by a dense canopy and understory, and limited evacuation routes. In the past 40 years, two major wildfires have touched the borders of Crescenta Valley. However, no wildfire in recent history has burned through Crescenta Valley. In the more hazardous sections of the community, the vegetation is dense. Non-native trees also have grown to create a dense canopy that can hasten the spread of a wildfire. Moreover, homes have been built one at a time on narrow, curving mountain roads. Many of the homes were built before the WUI building codes were enacted. Setbacks have often been waived or ignored, increasing the risk of a wildfire spreading through the community. Perhaps what makes the community most at risk is the lack of adequate evacuation routes. The Xxxxxx Terrace area has only one way out, a winding two-lane road with no shoulders, criss- crossed by power lines on 60-year old wooden poles, over an earthquake fault line. The need to reduce the risks of wildfires is paramount in this area. In addition, the lack of safe evacuation routes will prevent firefighters from entering the area to protect homes and fight the wildfire, particularly if there is a Santa Xxx event driving the wildfire.