California is heading into an above-average peak wildfire season, Cal Fire warns
It's only June, and fires are already popping up across California. Fire officials are predicting a prolonged peak season this year.
California started out the year drought-free. The U.S. Drought Monitor map showed no drought in the state in January, although it was short-lived.
While that can be a great thing, the water makes the grass grow, and six months later, that grass is now dry.
"The wet weather is a double-edged sword. When we first get it, it gives us a little relief of any fire danger. Those fuel moistures come up, but then that fuel — the grass, the brush — eventually dries out and it becomes fuel for those fires," said Brent Pascua, battalion chief with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
Cal Fire says we're already well ahead of the five-year average for acres burned and they're contributing that to the unusual heat wave in March.
"What we're seeing right now is, yes, it's going to be drier and hotter. We're looking at all the predictive models and they're saying it's going to be an above-average peak fire season," Pascua said.
As preps continue across the state, Cal Fire and its resources are out in full force because each region comes with its own challenges.
"That's what's unique about California. The south can have the fuel that's ready to burn, but the north could have that fire weather. So we monitor the whole state," Pascua said.
In Vacaville last week, a brush fire jumped the freeway onto a Volkswagen dealership's property, causing several cars to go up in flames — an example of the dry grass causing problems. Luckily, no one was hurt, and fire crews got it under control.
Cal Fire is reminding people just how quickly a fire can spread in the right conditions.
"It's so important that homeowners do their defensible space, have their go bags ready and have that emergency plan ready to enact," Pascua said.
Cal Fire says homeowners should remove dry brush, have at least five feet of defensible space around the home and clean out the gutters.
