LAKE COUNTY — Triple-digit temperatures, low humidity and breezy winds elevated the fire danger over the next several days, prompting CAL FIRE to increase its staffing across many parts of Northern California, including Lake County.
The National Weather Service issued a red-flag warning Friday afternoon that will last through Saturday evening because of the heightened fire danger in Lake, Shasta, Tehama, Glenn, Butte and Colusa counties.?
Temperatures climbed over the 100-degree mark Friday afternoon in parts of Lake County, and more intense heat is expected today.
The region is supposed to cool off Sunday, but the possibility of dry thunderstorms and lightning at higher elevations, including the Sierra Nevadas, will keep CAL FIRE officials on alert.
“While we are hoping we can make it through the next couple of days with minimal fire activity, we are prepared to respond if Mother Nature doesn”t agree,” Chief Ken Pimlott, CAL FIRE director, said. “With approximately 94 percent of our wildfires being human-caused, we are strongly urging the public to be extra careful and to take the proper steps to prevent wildfires.”
?Since?Jan. 1, CAL FIRE has responded to more than 2,100 wildfires across California that have charred more than 50,000 acres. Fire activity remains significantly higher than average — typically by this time of year CAL FIRE would have responded to only about 1,100 wildfires with 8,000 acres burned.
During red-flag warnings,?CAL FIRE urges all Californians to?exercise extreme caution outdoors in order to prevent wildfires.
CAL FIRE”s safety tips include: don”t mow or weed-eat dry grass on windy days; ensure campfires are allowed, and if so, be sure to extinguish them completely; never pull vehicles over in dry grass; and never burn landscape debris such as leaves or branches on no-burn days or when it”s windy.
