With California's biggest storm of the season on its way, officials have set up sandbag pickup stations throughout Los Angeles County.

A new wildfire was reported today at 10:31 a.m. in Los Angeles County. The wildfire has been burning on private land. At this time, the containment status is unknown and the cause of the fire remains undetermined.

But wildfire experts say cutting down Southern California's chaparral won't make the region safer from wildfires. In fact, because of the local ecology, they say clearing vast swaths of native brush could actually make the landscape even more flammable.