CORONA DEL MAR TODAY

Lack of Fire Hazard Compliance Along Buck Gully “Disheartening”

Of 170 homes along Buck Gully, 73 pose a serious fire danger because of overgrown landscaping, the city’s fire marshal said.

“It’s disheartening,” Fire Marshal Steve Bunting said. “It’s amazing, really.”

In May, the Newport Beach Fire Department sent 170 letters to Corona del Mar residents who live along Buck Gully, notifying them of upcoming inspections. Of those, 73 homes were not in compliance.

Those homeowners will receive letters asking them to clear dangerous vegetation within 30 days, and if they fail a second inspection, the city will have a contractor perform the work — and send the homeowner a bill.

“In August, we handle enforcement,” Bunting said.

The inspections are part of the department’s 13th year of involvement with the Urban Wildland Interface Hazard Reduction Program. The goal is to clear combustible vegetation that “could threaten or destroy those structures in a wildfire situation.”

In the past, fire officials have said a wild fire in Corona del Mar could destroy the village in 15 minutes.