The unimaginable horror faced by California residents and firefighters who watched a monstrous wall of flame obliterate an entire town is a tragedy that most of us will remember forever.

News went around the world that all of California seemed to be on fire with a death toll that would be unimaginable. In the end, it’s the job of elected officials to set the highest standards of public safety so that we at least have a fighting chance in the future of controlling something like this.

For past three decades as a California Assembly member and currently as an Orange County supervisor, I have been consumed with giving firefighters, police, and prosecutors the support they need to excel at their jobs despite budget cuts and rising crime.

So it was with great concern and disbelief that I watched a recent news report detailing how Los Angeles city officials have condoned campfires by homeless individuals in the extremely dry, mountainous brush areas.

The Los Angeles mayor said the vagrants could not be arrested because the city does not have “No Trespassing” signs posted in the area. Instead, he dispatched a team of counselors with no law enforcement authority to roust the homeless. This was met with limited success.

It’s unclear to me how many signs Mayor Eric Garcetti thinks he would need to cover the Santa Monica Mountains behind Bel Air and the Getty Museum. Apparently he is more concerned with creating bureaucracy than with the lives of citizens.

In Orange County, we do not allow the lives and well-being of our residents to be placed at risk by the homeless population.

I led efforts with my Board colleagues to clear homeless encampments from three miles along the Santa Ana River and place the individuals in shelters. Orange County has anti-vagrancy and anti-camping laws and we are currently negotiating with a federal judge to provide enough shelter beds so that law enforcement can vigorously enforce these laws. The reason is obvious.

During November, two Los Angeles brush fires started in homeless encampments including one that involved our beloved Griffith Park. And who can forget the massive Skirball fire last year that burned down six Bel Air homes – which not surprisingly — was caused by vagrants who were cooking a meal. A synagogue that almost went up in flames has recently sued the city for failing to clear the homeless encampments.

Los Angeles’ ludicrous stance on fire prevention has a direct impact on Orange County. California is a mutual response state and each county sends firefighters to help where they are needed most. We assisted in the Camp and Woolsey fires.

Any preventable fire that erupts in Los Angeles, caused by vagrant campfires or smoking, drains much-needed resources from Orange County and puts the lives of our firefighters at risk. Just this month, a firefighter from Washington state working on the Malibu fire was run over by a truck as he slept.

We have our own vast mountain regions to protect. Earlier this year, the Holy Fire burned 31 square miles through the Cleveland National Forest and Riverside County. In 2017, we had the Canyon 1 and 2 fires in Anaheim Hills that consumed 14 square miles. One of our engine companies was working the Grapevine fire in Central California when Canyon 2 broke out and got stuck in traffic trying to return home.

Los Angeles has taken an opposite viewpoint and has now seen its city and county become the second largest homeless site in the nation. It’s logical to assume that the dense brush on the hillsides is an attractive place to build a campsite and create a makeshift galley for breakfast, lunch and dinner. To not vigorously enforce the area as a no-fire zone is just plain reckless.

Orange County has an ordinance forbidding campfires in parks, recreational areas, and wilderness sites except within a designated fire ring or with a permit. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department has a dedicated homeless outreach team aimed at mitigating the impacts of encampments. Deputies ensure the ordinance is enforced and that the threat of illegal campfires is removed.

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Even if vagrants don’t intend to burn down numerous homes due to a campfire, they can still be charged with felony arson under Penal Code 452 because their action was so reckless. And if the fire kills someone, this becomes a manslaughter case.

In January, I will become Orange County’s next district attorney. This means I have the authority to set an example for the rest of the state regarding a no-tolerance stance on homeless firebugs or any other type of homeless crime. Many of these individuals just need a lucky break to get on their feet and I will continue to help with this effort, as I have for the past eight years. However, I will not tolerate anyone who violates our laws and jeopardizes our community safety.

I hope Los Angeles can follow this lead.

Todd Spitzer is a former assistant district attorney, California Assembly member and current supervisor of Orange County’s mountainous and high-fire danger Third District. He was elected district attorney in November.