DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Good morning. I'm David Greene. Here in California, the dry season has many fire departments worried. They want to find ways to clear brush to prevent wildfires. The Ventura County Fire Department hired some helpers to eat the problem. It's deploying hundreds of goats this week to chow down on dry vegetation. In fact, goat herders all over the state are renting out their flocks to do their part. One fire captain told Bloomberg the goats are, quote, "very effective." It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.