Taking a cue
– and a sigh of relief – from the storms that saturated
California last weekend, the California Department of Forestry
announced Monday that the 2002 fire season is officially over.
Taking a cue – and a sigh of relief – from the storms that saturated California last weekend, the California Department of Forestry announced Monday that the 2002 fire season is officially over.
The CDF has been busy since June with the hundreds of wildfires that ravaged California and will now lay off its seasonal workforce, repair fire-fighting aircraft and train its staff for the next fire season.
“Once humidity is up and temperatures are down and we’re getting some regular rainfall, we usually declare an end to the fire season,” said Curt Itson, CDF battalion chief for for San Benito and Monterey counties. “It’s done in each geographic location. What happens here may not necessarily be the case in San Diego.”
The storms left about two inches of rain in San Benito County between Thursday and Sunday. Not far away, areas of the Santa Cruz Mountains received up to four times that amount.
The CDF is also rescinding the ban on burn permits within state responsibility areas, which were imposed at the start of this summer’s fire season.
The permits are needed for county residents and farmers who wish to burn agricultural clippings and campers who want to build campfires in certain areas.
The fire danger throughout California during the summer was rated as “severe” by the CDF in July, prompting another ban from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management on campfires and even barbecues in many counties.
Those wishing to obtain a burn permit for organic compounds should contact their local fire department. For more information, contact the CDF and Fire Protection headquarters in Monterey at (831) 333-2600.
