Wildfire Acreage Way Down In California So Far This Year
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California fire officials say acreage burned so far this year is down 90% compared to the average over the past five years.
The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says it has fought fires on 38 square miles (98 square kilometers) this year. That is down from an average of 416 square miles (1,077 square kilometers) burned over the same period the past five years.
Through the same date last year — the worst fire year in state history — more than 970 square miles (2,512 square kilometers) had burned. The number of fires this year, though, is only down about 15% from last year.
Those figures only count 3,400 fires responded to by CalFire this year and not federal lands.
The stats are good news, but the state's worst fires are typically in the fall.