After last year’s catastrophic fire season ruined lives and
demolished homes of many Southern California residents, the
California Department of Forestry (CDF) predicts this year
shouldn’t be nearly as bad.
After last year’s catastrophic fire season ruined lives and demolished homes of many Southern California residents, the California Department of Forestry (CDF) predicts this year shouldn’t be nearly as bad.
“Last year was the worst fire season we’ve had in a long time,” said Cliff Williams, an investigator for the San Benito County/Monterey CDF. “Everybody always puts this gloom and doom out… but this year’s like any other year.”
Because the Central Coast suffered a drier than normal spring with a shorter rainy season, CDF has reported several more fires than usual for this time of year, Williams said. CDF does not have a specific number available because it doesn’t track fires separate from all other service calls, he said.
Although the numbers of fires are slightly higher at this point, that doesn’t alarm Williams, who said there’s going to be fires no matter what and the department has all its equipment and staffing in place for the summer.
“It just means we’re ready for fire season,” he said.
Although the area has been experiencing cool weather lately, a long-range forecast shows that above normal temperatures are predicted for the Western United States for the next three months, said Duane Dykema, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service out of Monterey.
“Which will be more bad news for fire season,” Dykema said. “Above normal temperatures for all of the Western United States also mean firefighting resources can get spread thin, so there’s the possibility of more fires.”
People living either at the edge of the city where wild land and urban areas meet, or in rural areas of the county, should take precautions to safeguard their property as well as their personal safety, Williams said.
“People living in downtown Hollister have nothing to worry about,” he said. “But people living in San Juan Canyon or the new San Juan Oaks development, yeah, those folks could get impacted if we have a large fire.”
The effects of fire season vary for the Hollister Fire Department depending on the year. Last year was an average year for fires, said Capt. Leo Alvarez.
“It’s got a lot to do with the grasses and the city drying out earlier than in previous years,” he said. “But if I were to take a gander, I’d have to say it will be same as last year.”
The Hollister Fire Department helps CDF on calls around the city’s outskirts, and one of the biggest problems in the past has been people lighting burn piles when they’re not supposed to, Alvarez said.
“In the afternoon when the winds kick up… last year we lost several acres on Union Road from someone burning,” he said.
Burn piles are banned from now until December 1 to cut down on those types of accidents, Williams said.
CDF asks people living in both urban and rural areas to use common sense when engaging in outdoor activities this summer.
Using a lawn mower in the morning when it’s cooler and more moist, and being careful with barbecue pits and camp fires are just a few ways to help prevent damage from fires, Williams said.
“Trim trees so they’re not as high, clear needles out of your gutters – clear anything that could carry fire into your house,” he said. “If people have brush and grass right up against their house, someone might have to make a decision to write a home off if they can’t get in there and defend it.”
Anyone with questions concerning fire preventive measures during fire season can contact the San Benito County CDF station at (831) 637-4474, and can pick up a brochure at the station, located at 1979 Fairview Rd., or contact the Hollister Police Department at (831) 636-4325.
