It’s not every day you see traffic halted for a herd of goats in the bustling neighborhood of San Diego. On June 17, however, the urban neighborhood of Clairemont briefly transformed into a pasture as roughly 300 hungry goats trotted across the road to new grazing fields. The event, a blend of practicality and charm, combines wildfire prevention with community spirit.

These goats aren’t just out for a leisurely stroll but on a mission. SDG&E enlists the herd to munch through dry brush in transmission corridors and hard-to-reach areas, reducing flammable vegetation that could fuel wildfires. “Goats are nature’s four-legged lawnmowers,” says Bill Click, SDG&E program manager. 

“They’re efficient, eco-friendly, and are celebrated by the community they help protect.”

The crossing marks the herd’s transition from one grazing site to another. But moving a hungry herd of goats across a major street requires teamwork. Enter the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, whose crew and SDG&E volunteers temporarily blocked traffic while the goats clattered past with the determination to clear their next field of brush. 

“These goats are nature’s wildfire prevention team, clearing brush in hard-to-reach places and helping us decrease our year-round fire risk,” said San Diego Fire-Rescue’s Fire Information Officer, Capt. Jason Shanley. “We love that we get to work with the real 'G.O.A.T's of the fire service, and we are grateful for their partnership and hard work to help us keep the community safe and preserve the environment!” 

Why goats?

1. Eco-Friendly Weed Whackers: They digest invasive plants and their seeds, preventing regrowth, while their droppings fertilize soil naturally, boosting native plant recovery and reducing post-fire erosion.
2. Terrain Titans: These agile grazers conquer steep hills, rocky slopes, and dense thickets unreachable by humans or machines. SDG&E deploys them around rugged transmission corridors.
3. Spark-Free Safety: Goats eliminate flammable brush safely near homes and habitats, avoiding chemical runoff or slope damage from traditional methods or machinery.
4. Soil Superheroes: Their grazing enriches soil with nitrogen, creating healthier ecosystems. By replacing herbicides and heavy machinery, goats help protect both the environment and infrastructure.
    

As California’s wildfire season grows longer and more intense, SDG&E continues exploring innovative solutions to address today's and tomorrow's challenges. Our fire safety grazing goats have cleared several thousand acres of high-risk land across San Diego County since 2021.
 
The crowd erupted in applause as the last goat hopped onto the sidewalk. Unfazed, the goats continued their leafy buffet, unaware of their celebrity status. But for SDG&E and Clairemont residents, these furry firefighters are the real stars, proving that sometimes, the best way to tackle a problem is to let nature take the lead.