California's fire season is officially under way and although it started later than usual, fire officials say it could be a more lethal season than seen in several years.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection suspended burn permits and added fire crews throughout most of Northern California on Monday in preparation for the hot, dry months ahead. Because of the deluge of spring rain, grass and brush are thicker than they were during the preceding drought years. That means more fuel for hotter, more relentless fires.
"Once the grasses are dried off, my prediction is that there'll be great opportunity for fire," said Jim Crawford, battalion chief for Cal Fire's Santa Clara Unit, which includes the East Bay and South Bay. "And because the grass is so thick, it's like a thatched roof. It'll burn very hot and be very resistant to being extinguished."
This is the latest start to fire season in recent memory, officials said. Usually it begins when the rains stop, as early as April. Officials expect the first major fires to erupt in July but the longer-lasting, more damaging fires to hit in California's hottest, driest months - September and October.
In the East Bay, fire officials are being especially vigilant because this October marks the 20th anniversary of the devastating Oakland-Berkeley firestorm that killed 25 people and destroyed 2,550 homes.
Since 1905, the East Bay has seen a major wildfire every 10 to 15 years, and we are overdue, said John Swanson, assistant fire chief for the East Bay Regional Park District.
The Diablo winds are the usual culprit, he said. Like the famed Santa Ana winds of Southern California, the Diablo winds are a reversal of the usual cool air that blows in from offshore. Diablo winds carry 30- to 40-mph gusts of hot, dry air from the Central Valley and heat the parched East Bay hillsides.
Anticipating a tough fire season, the district has placed fire warning signs at eight major parks, started mowing overgrown grass along popular trails and banned smoking everywhere but in landscaped areas and in cars.
Campfires throughout the state are also limited to fire pits. If the fire danger is extreme, even those could be banned, fire officials said.
Homeowners, particularly those in rural or wooded areas, are advised to clear brush away from their homes and prepare an evacuation plan in case a fire sweeps through.
"We are in California. There will be wildfires," said Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant. "It's not 'if' but 'when.' But there are things the public can do to help."
This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle written by Carolyn Jones.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection suspended burn permits and added fire crews throughout most of Northern California on Monday in preparation for the hot, dry months ahead. Because of the deluge of spring rain, grass and brush are thicker than they were during the preceding drought years. That means more fuel for hotter, more relentless fires.
"Once the grasses are dried off, my prediction is that there'll be great opportunity for fire," said Jim Crawford, battalion chief for Cal Fire's Santa Clara Unit, which includes the East Bay and South Bay. "And because the grass is so thick, it's like a thatched roof. It'll burn very hot and be very resistant to being extinguished."
This is the latest start to fire season in recent memory, officials said. Usually it begins when the rains stop, as early as April. Officials expect the first major fires to erupt in July but the longer-lasting, more damaging fires to hit in California's hottest, driest months - September and October.
In the East Bay, fire officials are being especially vigilant because this October marks the 20th anniversary of the devastating Oakland-Berkeley firestorm that killed 25 people and destroyed 2,550 homes.
Since 1905, the East Bay has seen a major wildfire every 10 to 15 years, and we are overdue, said John Swanson, assistant fire chief for the East Bay Regional Park District.
The Diablo winds are the usual culprit, he said. Like the famed Santa Ana winds of Southern California, the Diablo winds are a reversal of the usual cool air that blows in from offshore. Diablo winds carry 30- to 40-mph gusts of hot, dry air from the Central Valley and heat the parched East Bay hillsides.
Anticipating a tough fire season, the district has placed fire warning signs at eight major parks, started mowing overgrown grass along popular trails and banned smoking everywhere but in landscaped areas and in cars.
Campfires throughout the state are also limited to fire pits. If the fire danger is extreme, even those could be banned, fire officials said.
Homeowners, particularly those in rural or wooded areas, are advised to clear brush away from their homes and prepare an evacuation plan in case a fire sweeps through.
"We are in California. There will be wildfires," said Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant. "It's not 'if' but 'when.' But there are things the public can do to help."
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