“Fire without the flame” is how goat herder Johnny Gonzales describes his munching, bleating animals, who are doing their natural best to clear acres of dry brush in Anaheim Hills.

Hired by the city to reduce fire risk, Gonzales, a few employees, dogs Marcie and Bobo and about 180 Boer, Spanish and Nubian goats have been in the 130-acre Deer Canyon Park for a couple of weeks, and they’ll likely be somewhere in the hills for the rest of the year.

Oak Canyon Nature Center is next on the goats’ menu.

Goats from Environmental Land Management get in each other’s way while clearing a hillside in Anaheim Hills Thursday, June 7, 2018. The city hired the goats to help with fire suppression by clearing brush. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Goats from Environmental Land Management clear a hillside in Anaheim Hills Thursday, June 7, 2018. The city hired the goats to help with fire suppression by clearing brush. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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A goat munches on brush while clearing a hillside with his herd in Anaheim Hills Thursday, June 7, 2018. The city hired the goats to help with fire suppression by clearing brush. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Goats work at clearing a steep hillside in Anaheim Hills Thursday, June 7, 2018. The city hired the goats to help with fire suppression by clearing brush. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A goat works his way to a branch while helping clear a hillside in Anaheim Hills Thursday, June 7, 2018. The city hired the goats to help with fire suppression by clearing brush. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Goats from Environmental Land Management clear a hillside in Anaheim Hills Thursday, June 7, 2018. The city hired the goats to help with fire suppression by clearing brush. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Goats from Environmental Land Management clear a hillside in Anaheim Hills Thursday, June 7, 2018. The city hired the goats to help with fire suppression by clearing brush. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Goats from Environmental Land Management clear a hillside in Anaheim Hills Thursday, June 7, 2018. The city hired the goats to help with fire suppression by clearing brush. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The city has hired goats before, but after the Canyon Fire 2 destroyed homes in October, officials vowed to step up fire prevention efforts. They’re urging homeowners to clear brush from their properties, and they’re aggressively tackling 20 years of dead, dry plant growth on public land, especially where it borders neighborhoods.

Goats are perfect for the job, Anaheim Fire Marshal Allen Hogue said on Thursday, pointing up a steep hillside the surefooted brown and white animals were navigating with ease.

“It’s pretty hard for a human to hike up there and cut all that stuff out,” he said. Once the goats have thinned it out, workers use chainsaws to remove tough old roots and thick branches.

The goats are also faster, and they don’t get tired or complain. Gonzales said a single goat can eat about 10 to 12 pounds of plant material a day – that’s about a ton for a herd of 200.

I’m in Anaheim Hills, where the city is using goats to clear dry brush and reduce fire danger. pic.twitter.com/MBWHPfCE4u — Alicia Robinson (@ARobWriter) June 7, 2018

And they’re environmentally friendly. Where a person might just clear-cut a hillside, goats eat the dead brush first and can be relocated before they devour still-living plants that help prevent erosion and buffer wildfires, Gonzales said. Plus, goat droppings enrich the soil and don’t spread the seeds of invasive plants.

A few of the female goats are pregnant, so the city is planning a baby goat party where families can bring their children to meet the kids. It’s expected to be later this month at Fire Station 10.