Officials Say Dry, Warm Weather Creating Year-Round Fire Danger in Bay Area
LOS GATOS (KPIX) -- With two major wildfires happening in California within the past month, the recent stretch of warm, dry weather is raising concerns for some about increased fire dangers during what should be the Bay Area's rainy season.
Normally, February would be what firefighters consider the off-season, but that has not been the case this year.
"Really there is no end of fire season. Fire season is year-round in California," said Calfire Battalion Chief Jon Heggie.
Heggie says the unusually warm dry weather the Bay Area is having this winter comes close to matching conditions normally seen in late summer and fall.
"That's resulting in high fire danger. We're seeing those ignitions
when typically, we don't see that this time of year," he explained.
Santa Clara County Fire Battalion Chief Mike Mathiesen was up in the Los Gatos Hills Thursday to keep readiness high given the weather.
"We're maintaining a weather station up on Blackberry Hill," said Mathiesen
The weather station gives the department microclimate information which can be valuable if a fire starts.
Mathieson was just back from fighting the Colorado Fire in Big Sur when he responded to another fire which broke out near Lexington Reservoir over the weekend.
Fortunately, a strong response including helicopter water drops kept it from spreading beyond a half acre.
Local fire departments and Calfire are staying equipped with wildland firefighting gear year-round.
"Obviously, it's not expected we'd have fires this early in the year, but we are ready for them," Heggie said.
Firefighters are now urging neighbors especially those in mountainous areas to use caution with cigarettes, barbecues, and other sources of ignition.
"Don't let your guard down, regardless of what time of year it is. If it's warm and it's dry and it's windy, chances are in California you have a fire threat," Mathieson said.