California Gets Ready for Autumn Fire Threat

Every June, California's seasonal rituals repeat. Kids graduate. Families head to the beach. Green hills turn brown. And fire season begins anew.

Last week, the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection declared the start of fire season for all Northern California counties, two weeks after declaring the same for Southern California.

The announcement means wildland fire crews are boosted to full summer staffing levels at each of the 228 CDF stations in California as temperatures begin to rise.

The department has added roughly 1,500 seasonal firefighters to its year-round contingent of 3,800 firefighters.

Heavy winter rains this year, the wettest since 1997 in the Bay Area, are providing both good news and bad, fire officials say.

On one hand, all the rain increased the amount of grasses and shrubs in foothills and other rural areas. During warm months, those can provide ready fuel for hot, fast-moving flames.

At the same time, however, the extra rain increased the moisture content of trees. Because wet wood doesn't burn, firefighters have more time until the very end of summer when the risk of huge fires is highest.

"The big fuels are wet, but the grass is already drying out," said CDF Battalion Chief Dave Athey, at the agency's Almaden station in South San Jose. "This will be one of those years where we really have to worry about September and October."

The last time California had a year this wet, not much burned. In 1997, only 57,788 acres burned on lands the CDF oversees. That's only about one-third of the 168,134 acres that burned last year.

Fire commanders are still haunted by the massive infernos that charred San Diego and Riverside counties two years ago. That year, 2003, was the worst since 1945, with 404,328 acres burned.

As a result, state lawmakers passed new rules requiring rural homeowners to trim brush and grass back 100 feet from structures, up from the old rule of 30 feet.

Although the law allows fire inspectors to fine violators, this year only warnings will be issued in most cases, said Jim Wright, state deputy director of CDF for fire protection.

"It's a big change," he said. "We're approaching it from an educational standpoint at first before we enforce."

The rules apply to all structures, including homes, barns and other buildings, he added.

"Not only does 100 feet provide helpful protection for people's property, it also gives firefighters a safer margin," he said.

CDF has jurisdiction for 31 million acres in California, about one-third of the state. While city fire departments respond to urban blazes, and federal agencies including the U.S. Forest Service fight fires on federal lands in the Sierra Nevada and elsewhere, CDF oversees much of the rest.

Last week, a helicopter zoomed over Lexington Reservoir, taking part in practice rescues and other maneuvers in coordination with CDF's Alma station, on Highway 17 near Los Gatos.

For Bay Area residents who have seen wildland fires firsthand, the warmer weather means heightened awareness.

Kim Walter, 31, of San Jose, still remembers when the raging flames of the 3,000-acre Croy Fire in 2002 burned to within a mile of the home she and her fiance, Nik Gluck, rented in the hills west of Morgan Hill. They drove valuables and family photos to a friend's house and nervously waited. Their home was spared, but 34 others burned down.

"I've never been through anything like that before," said Walter, who owns Miniature Scene, a Campbell dollhouse store. "It took days to get the smoke smell out of the house."

Gluck was so moved that he spent $4,000 to buy a red 1969 fire truck on eBay. He picked it up in Washington state, drove it back to San Jose, and with neighbors set up the Uvas Volunteer Fire Department.

Today, some of the homes destroyed in the Croy Fire are rebuilt. Green grass covers burned areas. And the little fire department has more than 20 members.

"Fire is very much in everyone's consciousness now," said Walter. "People have been doing a lot of clearing of brush. The whole community has really pulled together."