State extinguishes fires at whirlwind speed — but more keep emerging
They are putting out wildfires at breakneck speed, often before they do much damage. But as soon as one fire is extinguished -- if not before -- another pops up.
During the last week alone, firefighters have mostly contained two significant wildfires near
Through
Cal Fire has been remarkably successful at quickly putting out those blazes, even to the chagrin of some experts who say the state needs to let more wildfires burn.
The average wildfire size this year for areas protected directly by Cal Fire or under contract with the agency is about 8 acres. Last year, it was roughly 16 acres. By comparison, the average wildfire size since 1987 is 28 acres, according to a Bee review of state fire data.
Some of that success is due to low wind speeds. Wind causes fire to spread; lack of wind makes fire easier to contain.
"We have not had a really serious
Having more resources has also helped keep fires small, state officials said.
"We are very aggressive," Cal Fire Director
The Wragg fire in
"It could have been a lot worse," said CDF fire captain
While firefighters were busy bringing the Wragg fire under control, a blaze broke out Thursday afternoon near
Minnich cited the
Much of the area consumed by the
"In the long run, when are we going to declare suppression a failure?" he added. "What is it going to take?"
Pimlott said most wildfires in Cal Fire's jurisdiction burn on private land and often threaten structures. Cal Fire constantly balances the need to reduce fuels with the responsibility to protect life and property, he said. The agency also devotes resources to thinning and pruning vegetation, and regularly conducts prescribed burns to reduce fuels.
"That is absolutely an issue," he said of overgrown forests. "We are no longer seeing the fire cycles that were here hundreds of years ago."
The threat of fire around the
Further east, in
"Anything that is insured, I'm just leaving," said
Johnson, 70, who has lived in the
"We have clients. They need us," said Binns.
As the two spoke, specks of ash floated around and heavy Cal Fire rigs rumbled by. A sign on a nearby pole read "thank you firefighters."
Video:
___
(c)2015 The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.)
Visit The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, Calif.) at www.sacbee.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Louisiana ACA CO-OP To Close
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News