Northern California Fire season winding down rapidily

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Northern California Fire season winding down rapidily

The Northern California region seasonal weather change has allowed State fire officials to end the fire season in the region by Monday.

Several northern units of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection have begun to close stations, reduce staffing levels, reduce wildland fire response levels, release contract aircraft, release seasonal firefighters and lift certain use restrictions, such as camp fires, and permit debris burning and the burning of vegetation piles on private property with proper permit and following local burn permit guidelines, And of course check with your local Fire Department for allowed Burn Days..

The Cal Fire will still provide service throughout the winter season, but some remote fire stations will be closed.

Home heating is a serious early winter fire danger homeowners should inspect all heating equipment prior to use every season.
The number of house fires usually peak in January and February. Inspecting chimneys, flues and all heating devices now can keep your family safer this winter.

Daniel Berlant, a department spokesman, said this season saw 3,424 wildfires in Northern California that burnt 61,749 acres. Except for one or two major fires, the rest were relatively small ones.

"This was a typical fire season," Berlant said. The five-year average for annual acreage burnt is 60,780 acres.

2007 California Fire season to date number of fires and acres:

Interval	Fires	Acres
1/1/2007 through 10/13/2007	6,857	84,999
1/1/2006 through 10/13/06	8,372	218,518
5 year average (same interval)	8,405	152,276

(All statistics are for CDF jurisdiction fires only and are subject to change until final fire season reports are completed and tabulated.)

But this season also saw one of the most destructive Nor California fires since the 1930s, Berlant said.

The Angora fire that started June 24 destroyed more than 250 homes on the outskirts of South Lake Tahoe.

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How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS

Saturday, October 20, 2007