The central Sierra Nevada had a relatively calm fire season last year, but an unusually dry winter and a December wind storm that blew down many large trees has Cal Fire officials anticipating a busy summer for wildfires.
Several late spring storms brought some much-needed rain to the Northern San Joaquin Valley and snow to the Sierra, helping to lessen the fire threat. The weather, however, has returned to its normal dry pattern for this time of year.
The vegetation is drying up and becoming fuel for a blaze, said Battalion Chief Barry Rudolph of the Tuolumne-Calaveras unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
"There are ample supplies of tall grass out there," Rudolph said. "That's coupled with the heavy vegetation from trees that fell from wind damage in December."
The fallen trees don't soak up moisture and can intensify a fast-moving grass fire, Rudolph said, and that can result in wildfires with longer flame lengths that burn hotter.
"It just gives you additional control problems," he said.
An unusually wet spring last year "suppressed" wildfire conditions and resulted in a "shorter window" for the fire season, Rudolph said.
The powerful wind storms in early December toppled trees, knocked out power to thousands and whipped up blazes that burned acres in the foothills east of Modesto keeping firefighters busy. The downed trees are becoming the greatest concern for Cal Fire.
"It's shaping up for an active fire season," Rudolph said. "We're starting to ramp up (staffing and training) to meet the conditions out there."
Cal Fire was hit by budget cuts statewide, but Rudolph said the Tuolumne-Calaveras unit has the same firefighting force it had last year -- 10 crews, 21 engines, two bulldozers, two air tankers, a helicopter and a tactical plane. The plane might have to be diverted to the Fresno area from time to time because that region lost its plane to budget cuts.
The weather is expected to play a key role in the number of wildfires the region will see this year.
"It's all based on the weather we have this summer and on the condition of the fuels (or vegetation) that changes throughout the summer," Rudolph said.
But it's usually human error that sparks blazes, he said, with 90 percent of fires caused by people and their activities. A simple mistake can have "catastrophic" results, he said.
Mistakes also can spark grass fires in the valley that threaten lives and property, said Battalion Chief Hugo Patino of the Modesto Regional Fire Authority.
Recently, someone threw charcoal grill ashes into a green waste trash bin, igniting a fire that spread to the north Modesto home's gas and electrical meters. The fire was quickly extinguished and caused no major damage.
"We want people to have a great time, but we want them to be smart about what they're doing," Patino said.
The Fire Department was kept busy late last month with several grass fires that burned areas along the Tuolumne River and vacant lots throughout Modesto. Recent windy weather has made some of those fires tough to corral.
Areas along Highway 99 hold another grass fire threat. Patino said Caltrans crews do their best to trim the tall grass, but these long stretches of grass provide fuel for fast-moving blazes if someone decides to flick a lit cigarette out a car window.
Patino said the weather has been an early indication of a dangerous fire season.
"It certainly has the potential for some very big fires this year," Patino said. "It seems like it's getting warmer earlier this year."
Copyright 2012 - The Modesto Bee, Calif.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
