ST. HELENA >> Recent rains and cooler temperatures across the region have lowered the threat of wildfires, allowing Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit to transition out of peak fire season in Lake , Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Yolo, Colusa Counties.
The 2017 fire season was extremely active, even more so than in 2016. It ended both memorably and tragically, with simultaneous blazes in Lake, Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. Statewide, Cal Fire and firefighters from many local agencies responded to over 6,000 wildfires within the State Responsibility Area that burned nearly 505,000 acres.
During the cooler winter months, Cal Fire will continue to actively focus efforts on fire prevention and fuels treatment activities as guided by the state’s Strategic Fire Plan and localized Unit fire plans. These will be done through public education, prescribed burns and various types of fuel reduction. These activities are aimed at reducing the impacts of large, damaging wildfires and improving overall forest health.
Cal Fire will continue to maintain staffing to meet any potential threat, as well as maintaining the ability to strategically move resources to areas that remain at a higher threat level. The department will also continue to monitor weather conditions closely and still has the ability to increase staffing should weather conditions change or if there is a need to support wildfires or other emergencies in other areas of the state.
Residents are urged to still take precautions outdoors in order to prevent sparking a wildfire. Before you burn, ensure it is a permissive burn day by contacting the local air quality district and then make sure you have any and all required burn permits. During burning, make sure that piles of landscape debris are no larger than four feet in diameter, provide a 10 ft. clearance down to bare mineral soil around the burn pile and ensure that a responsible adult is in attendance at all times with a water source and a shovel.
For more ways to burn safely visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org.
