Rain Is Here But Firefighters Are Still Preparing for Wildfire; So Should You, Says Cal Fire

A super tanker begins a fire retardant drop on The River Fire near Scott's Valley Road in Lake County California on Friday.

A super tanker begins a fire retardant drop on The River Fire near Scott’s Valley Road in Lake County California earlier this year. [Photo by Mark McKenna]

Press release from Cal Fire:

Recent rains and cooler temperatures across the region have lowered the threat of wildfires allowing CAL FIRE’s Humboldt-Del Norte Unit to transition out of Peak Fire Season effective Monday, December 10th at 8:00 a.m. in Humboldt, Del Norte, and western Trinity Counties.

Unit Chief Kurt McCray would like to remind the public that maintaining defensible space around structures is required by law. Compliance with this law provides a basis for the safety of public citizens as well as firefighters during wildfires. Winter and spring months are ideal for creating and maintaining defensible space in preparation for California’s warm and dry months from late spring through fall. CAL FIRE will be conducting fuels reduction, forest improvement, and prescribed burning projects within the Humboldt-Del Norte Unit while out of Peak Fire Season.


Due to drought like conditions that persisted throughout 2018 in California, CAL FIRE continues to maintain staffing to meet any future threat, as well as having the ability to strategically move resources to areas that remain at a higher wildfire threat level. CAL FIRE will also continue to monitor weather conditions closely and will maintain the ability to increase staffing should the weather conditions change or if there is a need to support wildfires and or any other emergencies in other areas of the State.

During the cooler winter months, CAL FIRE will continue to actively focus efforts on fire prevention and fuels treatment activities as guided by the State’s Strategic Fire Plan and localized Unit fire plans. These will be done through public education, prescribed burns and various types of fuel reduction. These activities are aimed at reducing the impacts of large, damaging wildfires and improving overall forest health. 

2018 has been an extremely active fire year, even more so than in 2017. This year we have seen the deadliest, the most destructive, the largest wildfire and most acres burned throughout the state in California’s recorded history. Statewide, CAL FIRE and firefighters from many local agencies battled over 6,228 wildfires within the State Responsibility Area that burned over 876,225 acres. This is over 650 more wildfires this year than normal. In 2018 the CAL FIRE Humboldt-Del Norte Unit responded to 110 wildfires that burned 166 acres as well as wildfires throughout California.

 

Residents are urged to still take precautions outdoors in order to prevent sparking a wildfire. A leading cause of wildfires this time of year is from escaped landscape debris burning. Before you burn, ensure it is a permissive burn day by contacting the North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District and then make sure you have any and all required burn permits. During burning make sure that piles of landscape debris are no larger than four feet in diameter, provide a 10-ft. clearance down to bare mineral soil around burn piles and ensure that a responsible adult is in attendance at all times with a water source and a shovel. 

 

For more ways to prevent sparking a wildfire visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org

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16 Comments
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Willie Caso-Mayhem
Guest
5 years ago

It always pays to be prepared. Thanks for the info Kym.

Lone ranger
Guest
Lone ranger
5 years ago

Ten more years like the last 2 and we should be a pretty preventable space,we will no longer be the blue state, we will be the gray area.

tax payer
Guest
tax payer
5 years ago

they have to listen to Trump if they want the money. now they have to do fuel reduction

THC
Guest
THC
5 years ago
Reply to  tax payer

Actually a bunch of professors from some California colleges finally spoke up. Something about not thining out dead debris from forests might lead to helping cause forest fires to grow faster than normal, who Woulda thunk it. Lot of people don’t realize how bad the Suddent Oak death is getting and leaving burnt trees from fires years ago helps add to the tender problem. Or the PG&E factor. If California’s 100-200 year weather patterns hold true, we should be getting a decent amount of rain witj in the next 50 years.

https://www.sciencealert.com/every-200-years-california-endures-a-flood-of-epic-proportions-and-this-could-be-it

https://www.google.com/search?q=California+sudden+Oak+death&client=ms-android-uscellular-us&source=android-browser&prmd=nisv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiJteqtp5jfAhXFzVQKHa1OBLgQ_AUoAnoECA0QAg&biw=360&bih=512

https://www.google.com/search?q=California%27s+burnt+Forest&client=ms-android-uscellular-us&source=android-browser&prmd=imnv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjJyez_qJjfAhWoh1QKHV40BxgQ_AUoAXoECA0QAQ&biw=360&bih=512

Al
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Al
5 years ago
Reply to  THC

Thc, well said, thanks. And thanks to the professors for speaking up.

tax payer
Guest
tax payer
5 years ago
Reply to  THC

people have been saying things for years and years, but who is the one behind getting things to change? the answer is Trump. He told them they had to do something or else he would stop giving federal aid for forest fires and Gavin Newsome agreed with him in the press release and Jerry was lookin like a …. and jumped when Trump put his hand on his back it was hilarious

Lost Croat Outburst
Guest
Lost Croat Outburst
5 years ago
Reply to  tax payer

Trump could not get the name “Paradise” right, calling the town “Pleasure.” He said California should rake the forests like they do in Finland, which they don’t. He was a buffoon as usual. Jerry Brown, former Jesuit scholar and twice-serving California governor, stared at the ground in reserved tolerance of the shoo-in worst American President ever, Donald J. Trump. Brown showed respect for the office and gratitude for whatever help the American people would offer.

In case you didn’t notice, Trump is the anti-Lincoln and reverse-Midas. He debases, debauches and demeans everything he touches. Business, friends, family, even his own nation which he swore to defend; all turn to shit. Brown probably felt like Satan himself was touching him.

Very perceptive Jerry.

Class act all the way. Thank you.

Thebigdeal
Guest
Thebigdeal
5 years ago

You are wrong lost croat outburst. No matter what trump does obama will always be the worst of all time. He tried to give our country away.

TQM
Guest
TQM
5 years ago
Reply to  tax payer

The Orange pustule is the biggest blowhard ever.

Jaekelopterus
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Jaekelopterus
5 years ago
Reply to  tax payer

Threatening to withhold federal funds from California is like when George Costanza wanted his fiance to sign a prenuptial agreement. We contribute more to the federal coffers than we take.

Willie caos- mayhem
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  tax payer

This one time I agree with you,but who would foot the bill. State,Local or Federal maybe even corporations.
Look at the effort it would take to get back into some of areas. Men,equipment, food, more equipment, removal, more equipment, who would foot the bill?

THC
Guest
THC
5 years ago

Concentrating on more populated areas would be a good start, providing some kind of incentive for private landowners to thin out their brush, this is going to be the hard part. I have 80 acres of land that’s totally choked out by tan Oaks and Huckleberry brush, there’s no way I can take care of it on my own nor can I afford to hire someone to do it for me. It’s well past the point of a natural burn without destroying hundreds of Acres of neighboring property, which is in the same state as mine. And yes I also agree the reason it is so brushy is because it was logged in the late 70s. It’s quite amazing the difference in the last 30 years. When my father first built his house it was still open, you could walk around and see for acres and Acres. Now it’s so congested by Huckleberry brush, fur pecker pools and tan Oak you literally have to crawl or climb over the top of it to go anywhere. Even the old skid roads from the 70s have furs about a foot and a half in diameter growing in them. More biomass generator power plants would be great, easing Restriction of firewood cutting on public land.

The fact of the matter is California has always had huge fires and will always have huge fires. Right now we’re at a dry period in our weather cycle history and there’s a shit ton more people liveing here.

local observer
Guest
local observer
5 years ago

if anyone spent some time accessing the completion of fuel reduction projects you would find the logging companies take the “money wood” and leave the “cut into profit wood” on the ground which was the purpose of the project in the first place. along Hyw 97 below Bend was one of these projects. the project was a disaster for both parties.

Sparklemahn
Guest
Sparklemahn
5 years ago

There has never been such an arrogant POS anti-Earth President like Hair Hitler The Flaming Orange Satan Chump Trump. In his pathetic defense, Conservatives are too stupid to appreciate and want to protect the environment.

Thebigdeal
Guest
Thebigdeal
5 years ago
Reply to  Sparklemahn

You are to stupid to even understand what the enviroment is. At least trump is willing to push back against dumb assed like you

Jaekelopterus
Guest
Jaekelopterus
5 years ago
Reply to  Thebigdeal

He might be willing, but I think you will find be is quite unable to actually withhold federal funds.