California Boosts Resources Ahead Of Another Potentially Dangerous Wildfire Season
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Another potentially dangerous fire season is ahead in California, and the state is adding more resources to the frontlines.
Marci and Ken Albers are trying to move on from their past and focus on their future by building a brand new home where their old one once stood.
They both survived last year's LNU Lightning Complex Wildfire with their two dogs, escaping their home just minutes before massive flames burned it to the ground.
"Most of the people, they got out with the shirt on their back like we did and that's the upsetting part," Ken said. "We didn't have a chance to grab all of our photos or anything – the kind of stuff that's irreplaceable."
Cal Fire is now preparing for the worst after the state's last wildfire season stretched resources thin.
"Fire seasons are getting longer, the winters are getting shorter and it's getting drier and hotter," said Batallion Chief Jon Heggie. "All the miles I drove over the summer, I could have driven from San Diego to Columbia."
For the next three months, temperatures are forecasted to increase while precipitation levels are forecasted to be below normal. So is the worst yet to come?
"What I expect, I don't know. I'm planning for the worst like I said before," Heggie said.
Right now, crews are monitoring the amount of water in vegetation and being more aggressive with fuel reduction. There have also been upgrades to detection systems helping crews identify fires when they start early.
It's added time the Albers wish they had.
"I don't have anything that I can give my grandkids that was mine," Ken said.
"Everything I had of my parents is gone," Marci said.
Marci and Ken are anxious to return to their English Hills neighborhood staying strong with their daily reminder that both are survivors.
"You got to kind of look at it and say well you know we are alive," Marci said.