SAN DIEGO — San Diego County is heating up and drying out. After our historic rainy season, there’s a lot of thick, dry brush.
The Lake Murray 4th of July Fireworks and Music Fest is coming up and viewers reached out to CBS 8 to find out if and when crews will come and clear some of the brush before the fireworks are set.
Our CBS 8 crew went to Lake Murray to see what viewers were talking about and met Jeff and Pattie Grover.
They used to own a brush abatement company that worked with the Fire Safe Council and Forest Service in Alpine. “They would identify areas and we would go in with a big masticator and clear it out," Jeff said.
We showed the Grovers the area where fireworks are launched for the July 4th show.
“If they’re going to shoot fireworks from over in that area, I would say that it would concern me. I would think with all the brush that they have out here, they have a high probability of starting a fire,” Jeff said.
“I think they're going to mow. I hope. If they're going to do fireworks, I hope they mow," his wife Pattie added.
Another woman walking the lake told us she loves coming to see the fireworks with her family.
“I hope that someone's consulting somebody so they stay safe,” the woman said.
And they are. We reached out to the organizer of the Lake Murray Fireworks and Music Fest.
Melissa DeMarco is the President of the community-organized group this year.
She says they work closely with park rangers to make sure the brush area is taken care of ahead of time. They hire a water truck to come and soak the area where the fireworks launch. Then the City of San Diego Fire Department inspects. DeMarco says the fireworks company checks too so they have a lot of eyes on the ground to make sure everyone is safe.
The Lake Murray Fireworks and Music Fest is almost 100% community funded and led by volunteers. They’re still accepting donations for fireworks, and just shy of their goal.
One woman we spoke with at Lake Murray today said, “I think it's what makes this community great and I think a lot of families are looking forward to it.
The City of San Diego manages Lake Murray and because of the Juneteenth holiday, all government offices are closed so we could not find out exactly when the brushwork will be done.
But now people enjoying the show can feel more confident knowing the prep work will be done before big flashes of fire scream through the sky.
WATCH RELATED: Donations to San Diego Fire-Rescue Foundation help the organization better protect firefighters (June 2023).
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