Cal Fire: Wildfire Firefighting Costs Down This Year
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — We are heading into what is historically the busiest time of the year for wildfires.
So far, firefighters have been breathing a sigh of relief after the largest and deadliest wildfire season in California history last year.
The images from the 2018 wildfire season are burned in our minds forever: the Camp Fire, the Carr Fire, and the County Fire were just some of the fires that burned over a half-million acres statewide. According to Cal Fire, when you look at the 2018 numbers from Jan. 1 through Sept. 1, more than 622,000 acres burned, compared with just 28,000 acres this year. That's a 95 percent drop.
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"For firefighters across the state this was a needed break," said Cal Fire Deputy Director Mike Mohler.
Fewer wildfires means less money spent fighting them. So how much money has the state saved? By this time last year, Cal Fire spent $432 million in emergency funding. This year it's spent just $18 million.
But we aren't out of the woods yet. Cal Fire said an unusually wet spring could create worse fire conditions this fall.
"The amount of rainfall we had this past year, it's a double-edged sword. Some of those larger fuels are still moist. But it adds that fuel to that grass crop for larger fire," said Mohler.
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Last year Cal Fire had to request an additional $400 million in emergency funding. A request for additional funding is something that's been done three times in the last eight years. This year, the agency received that funding ahead of time just in case.
"We're allocated for 2019-20 for $651 million in our emergency fund," said Mohler.
If all stays quiet, they won't need it all. But authorities say it does not roll over to the next season.
"But again, nobody wants to jinx it," said Mohler.
For now, crews are staying busy undergoing training, conducting prescribed burns. and other fuel-management projects.
"We are taking that opportunity to really focus on health and wellness and get our employees back from really the last three years where we were out over 40 days," said Mohler.
Of the five year average of 269,000 acres burned, we are currently at just 14% of the average burned.
