After a fire in nearby woods, the Westlake Village Homeowners Association takes bids to clear brush, as firefighters directed.
By NORA KOCH
Published June 29, 2004
PALM HARBOR - Behind the Westlake Village clubhouse, its pool and playground, pond and paths, a neighborhood nuisance has been smoldering.
In the past year, Palm Harbor Fire Rescue says it has responded to about 10 fires in the woodsy acres that complete the park. Some were arson, some accidental, some reckless use of fire, but all were serious enough to add up to a problem.
The latest fire burned a quarter acre of land, and sparked action and concern from the homeowners association.
After the June 4 blaze, association president Jerry Kaiser reached out to the fire department and learned it wasn't an isolated incident, he said.
"It's a wooded area that has a lot of trees and some underbrush and children have been congregating there as a meeting place and having a bonfire," Kaiser said. "... A couple of them have gotten out of hand."
Kaiser wrote a letter to the community, telling residents about the rash of fires and ideas to curb them. He asked his neighbors to talk to their children about the danger of fires.
He also laid out a plan to work with the fire department's request to clear the woods of the underbrush, dead wood and other flammable, dry vegetation. The association, which collects annual dues of $453 from each of the neighborhood's 650 homes, is now taking bids on the project.
The string of fires is not unique to Westlake Village, said Palm Harbor Fire Rescue fire investigator Jim Fletcher. The community is one of a handful of trouble spots that the department knows to keep an eye on.
Sometimes the fires aren't accidents. The department currently has two open arson investigations from the park and in the past two years, eight people - two adults and six juveniles - have been charged with burning public land.
