Amador County – Even though we are technically in the middle of winter, fire officials are warning Amador County residents that fire danger still exists. An unseasonably warm winter so far has increased the likelihood of fire occurrence. This warm weather pattern has continued over the last couple years, resulting in larger and more widespread fires throughout California which require larger response units. The California Department of Forestry and Protection, or CALFIRE, statistics reveal that in 2007 alone, 3,610 separate fires occurred within the agency’s jurisdiction. This accounted for 434,667 acres of fire. According to the Amador Fire Protection District, there were 3 structure fires, 1 cooking fire, 1 chimney fire, 1 vehicle fire and 3 wildland fires in Amador County during the month of December. In response, the Tuolumne/Calaveras Unit of CALFIRE is urging residence to take advantage of cool spring weather to finish clearing defensible space around your home in anticipation of another long, dry summer. “Live vegetation must be thinned and pruned to provide the horizontal and vertical spacing that will interrupt fire’s progress to or from a house or other building,” said Bureau Chief Dennis Townsend in a press release. Most importantly, remove all dead vegetation within 100 feet of all structures. He said that before burning each day, residents must check burn day status by calling the the Air Pollution Control District with jurisdiction over your area. Permissive burn days are determined on the basis of air quality, not whether it’s actually safe to burn. For more information about defensible space requirements, as well as safe burning practices, contact your local CAL FIRE station, or visit www.fire.ca.gov. Story by Alex Lane (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).