SACRAMENTO (AP) -- Summer heat brings fire season, and a warning from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection that 90 percent of wildfires are caused by people.
The department, charged with protecting over 31 million acres of forest and open space, reminds residents that restrictions may be imposed in the coming months on a variety of activities including campfires and agricultural burns. Landowners living in rural areas are also advised to be careful when using chain saws, weed trimmers and even lawn mowers because each is capable of inadvertently starting fires.
Each year, the department's firefighters, fire engines and aircraft respond to an average of 6,300 wildfires each year. An average of 144,000 acres is burned each year in California's forests and wildlands.
