Hundreds of Goats Recruited to Eat Brush by a California Fire Department More than 450 goats will be released to help cut down the wildfire hazard

 -- A fire department in southern California is fighting wildfires with wild animals -- over 450 goats, to be specific.

The Ventura County Fire Department set hundreds of goats free in the county's Simi Valley hillside on Wednesday in the hopes they will eat up acres of dry brush, which is potential fuel for wildfires, according to ABC station KABC-TV in Los Angeles.

Though the average amount of rainfall in Ventura County should be 15 inches per year, the county only received 8 inches of rain last year and only 6 inches so far this year, KABC reported.

"We still have this dead, decadent brush as a result of the years of drought," Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen said at a news conference. Fire officials emphasized that even on a cool day, the dry brush that is prolific in the County could easily burn.

Fire officials said the goats will be released for the next four to six weeks, in hopes they eliminate danger spots by eating the dry grasses down to the dirt.