LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – After a dry spring, the county is starting to see small wildland fires, and fire officials say it’s time to prepare in order to keep residents and homes safe.
On Tuesday, a fire estimated at about six acres burned in Morgan Valley new Lower Lake, another small fire was reported alongside the road near Middletown that day and on Wednesday afternoon, as high winds blew through Lake County, a fire near Lakeport burned about an acre of land and a pump house, followed later by a fire that destroyed a home in Kelseyville.
Around the region, large wildland fires broke out this week, scorching thousands of acres.
Lakeport Fire Chief Ken Wells said the recent winds and high temperatures have created concerns for fire officials.
The wind, he explained, dries out the grass fast. The area’s grass already is dry after a spring with a dearth of rain.
“Now is the time to work on your defensible space,” said Wells.
While being prepared for fire always is advisable, in Lake County it’s particularly important to be ready for the fast-approaching fire season.
In 2012, thousands of acres were burned between the Scotts Fire and Wye Fire, as Lake County News has reported.
Wells urged area residents to get weeds, grass and other vegetation cleared around homes.
He said to do weedeating before 10 a.m., and advised that weedeating – which usually involves plastic line – is safer than lawnmowers, which use metal blades. Such blades, when they hit rocks, can create sparks that ignite grass.
Wells said Middletown firefighters on Tuesday recorded humidity as low as 8 percent. In Lakeport on Wednesday it was 15 percent.
“Fires burn when the humidity is down that low,” he said.
Due to the early increase in fire activity this year and the lack of rainfall, Cal Fire reported that it is anticipating the potential for a higher fire threat this summer.
So far this year, Cal Fire has responded to close to 700 fires, more than 200 over the average for this time of year.
Due to the low rainfall levels across the state from January to April, this year is likely to go down as one of the driest ever, the agency reported.
“While we are busy transitioning into fire season, this is the time we want residents to begin preparing their homes for fire season by creating 100 feet of Defensible Space,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire’s director.
Cal Fire advises residents to maintain 100 feet of defensible space around homes and structures, and to remove all dead plants, grass, and weeds from within 30 feet of your home.
Defensible space helps protect not only homes but, in the case of firefighters, it help protect them while they defend a home against fire.
Trees should be trimmed 6 feet from the ground, and all leaves, pine needles and debris should be removed from roofs. Cal Fire also advises families to create evacuation plans.
Cal Fire’s Ready Set Go Web site, http://www.readyforwildfire.org/ , offers guidance for homeowners on how to prepare for fire season, including creating an action plan, how to use the right equipment for vegetation removal, fire safe landscaping and more.
More information also is available at Cal Fire’s main Web site, www.fire.ca.gov .
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.