As temperatures rise, so does the risk of wildfires

May 23--Fire season is underway. Actually, it never stopped.

It's a year-round reality for Californians, officials say, so it's important to keep property maintained.

"We've already had hundreds of fires in California this year," CalFire Public Information Officer Mary Eldridge said. "We're not seeing it on the scope and scale yet when we look at the October fires, but they're on the way. It's just a matter if they're on the way sooner or later."

Fires ripped through the state into December, and Loma Rica is still recovering from the devastation from the Cascade Fire in October. The best line of defense, Eldridge said, is taking care of your property, though the "outrageous" wind-driven wildfires seen last year are nearly impossible to stop.

Eldridge encouraged looking for "30 feet lean and green" around your home: within 30 feet of your home, make sure the yard is green with no dead brush or trees, and make sure there are no tree limbs hanging over the roof.

Here are some other tips:

n Sweep pine needles off the roof.

nClean out gutters.

nDo not keep stacks of lumber next to the home.

nClean out fuel (pine needles, dead leaves) from underneath your deck.

nMake sure there are no tree branches within 10 feet of a chimney.

Yuba City Fire Chief Pete Daley said the same kinds of issues exist for residences in the city. The urban area has an abundance of light, flashy fuels, he said, with commercial lots and ag land that butts up to homes.

"Light, flashy fuels" burn quickly and include dry grass and weeds. Daley said it's important to keep those cut back in front and back yards. That also goes for combustible items inside and around a home which can burn faster and restrict firefighters' access.

"Using good common sense inside and outside of your house makes a world of difference for us being able to help you," Daley said Friday.

And though the Fourth of July is six weeks away, Daley warns residents about the consequences of using illegal fireworks, which the department has already received calls for service for. Those shooting off illegal fireworks face a fine of $1,000. Illegal fireworks -- ones that explode, shoot up into the air, and aren't labeled 'safe and sane' -- can land on roofs and are a fire hazard, as well as causing injuries.

"We have zero tolerance for illegal fireworks," Daley said. "We will be aggressively going out there and enforcing (the city ordinance)."

Russ Brown, Yuba County communications coordinator, said he can't emphasize enough the precautions that need to be taken in order to avoid anything like what was seen last year. He encouraged residents to be sure they're signed up for emergency alerts (which they can do by visiting the website yuba.org). Also, it's best to keep phones plugged in and on even at night, which is when the Cascade Fire hit.

And keeping an emergency kit near the front door isn't just for flood emergencies. Brown encourages residents to keep a box with important documents (birth certificates, insurance information) as well as a bag with some essentials in an easy-to-grab location in case of any emergency.

___

(c)2018 the Appeal-Democrat (Marysville, Calif.)

Visit the Appeal-Democrat (Marysville, Calif.) at www.appeal-democrat.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.