Amador County – The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Amador-El Dorado Unit announced it will designate the opening of “fire season” for 2012 to start at 8 a.m. Monday May 28.

The final California Water Department snow survey on May 1 showed statewide snowpack water content was 40 percent of normal. From January to April, Cal-Fire crews responded state-wide to more than 800 wildfires, nearly two and half times the number in 2011 when there were approximately 300. This year’s number of wildfires is also above the five-year average of 600 wildfires.

Unit Chief Kelly Keenan reminded residents of the Amador-El Dorado Unit that “we are moving into a period of increased risk for wildfires as temperatures are quickly increasing and humidity is dropping causing lighter vegetation, such as grass, to burn more easily.” 

Keenan said Cal-Fire is prepared all year long for emergencies but is now preparing for increased threat and workload driven by wildfires during the summer. Cal-Fire is actively training additional firefighters and preparing to staff additional fire equipment to meet the increasing fire threat.

Keenan encourages people to continue to work on their “defensible space” which should be a minimum of 100 feet around each structure on their property or to the property line, whichever is closer. Don’t forget to remove all pine needles and leaves from the roof and rain gutters, which are often overlooked.

Keenan said: “Together we can make the communities we live in fire safe.” For more info on preparing for fire season, please visit Cal-Fire’s web site or call (530)644-2345 for free brochures.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.