Central Coast: Firefighters chase many small fires

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Central Coast: Firefighters chase many small fires

NEAR MORRO BAY - Up to 14 small brush fires keep Central Coast firefighters busy

Fires break out during one of the warmest weekends of the year.

Around 6:30 Saturday evening, a series of 5 to 7 small brush fires flared up on the side of Highway 1, between San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay. A second cluster of 5 to 7 small fires was reported in the city limits of Morro Bay, also on the side of Highway 1.

Crews from Cal Fire, Morro Bay City Fire, San Luis Obispo City Fire and the Los Osos Community District were all called out to get a handle on the flames.

The largest fire burned about half an acre. Some were as small as a couple square feet.

Firefighters had the flames under control in about half an hour.

They say, as the weather warms, folks need to be extra careful.

"It's illegal to throw any kind of burning objects from a vehicle anytime of the year, regardless of spring time or summer time or fire season or not. So we just want to remind people that we are entering the wild land fire season, California is starting to dry out," said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Phil Vernis.

Investigators believe the fires were started by a mal-functioning catalytic converter, a car part that can get so hot, it can catch damp grass on fire.

Source: KSBY article

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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

Sunday, April 13, 2008