Cal Fire encourages residents to create defensible space with more wet weather on the way
AUBURN — Recent rains have been heaven-sent during California's years-long drought, but concerns over flash flooding in wildfire burn scar areas have fire crews watching and working.
Peter Enix owns five acres in Auburn.
"After it dries up, we're going to mow these leaves and turn them into mulch," he said.
Enix has created defensible space around his house with a little hard work.
"We try to cut back at least 10-15-20 feet from the house," he said.
He also receives help from a small herd of goats in a ditch on his property.
"They ate three acres of blackberries ten feet deep in seven months, and then started to get out to the neighbors," Enix said.
A neighbor has used cattle, and others have cut trees or cleared them. Cal Fire does the same. U.S. Forest Service and Cal Fire crews started right after the Mosquito Fire, which was active for 50 days and impacted El Dorado and Placer counties earlier this year.
They focus on burn-scarred areas to prevent erosion when wet weather hits.
As Cal Fire creates fire breaks through fuel reduction, they are asking you to do the same.
"Even though we have had 3-5 inches [of rain] in the last week, give it a couple weeks of drying out and we could be back in the fire season very quickly," one fire official said.
Cal Fire says that 100 feet of defensible space would save not only your home but possibly your neighborhood.
