CAL FIRE Mendocino Unit Transitions Out of Fire Season
Willits – Recent rains and cooler temperatures across the region have lowered the threat of wildfires allowing CAL FIRE’s Mendocino Unit to transition out of fire season effective Monday, November 24, 2014 at 8 a.m. in Mendocino County.
Unit Chief Christopher P. Rowney encourages all residents to take advantage of the cooler months ahead and prepare your home for the 2015 fire season by creating 100 feet of defensible space around your home
As drought conditions continue to have a hold on California, CAL FIRE is maintaining staffing that meets the current threat, as well as strategically moving resources to areas that remain at a higher threat level. CAL FIRE will also continue to monitor weather conditions closely and still has the ability to increase staffing should the weather conditions change or if there is a need to support wildfires in other areas of the State.
The 2014 fire season has been an extremely active year. Statewide CAL FIRE and firefighters from many local agencies battled over 5,500 wildfires within the State Responsibility Area that burned nearly 91,000 acres. This number is over 1,000 more wildfires this year than normal. In the Mendocino Unit, CAL FIRE responded to 140 wildfires that charred 12,782 acres.
Residents are urged to still take precautions outdoors in order to prevent sparking a wildfire. A leading cause of wildfires this time of year is from escaped landscape debris burning. Before you burn, ensure it’s a permissive burn day by contacting the Mendocino County Air Management District at (707) 463-4391 and then make sure you have any and all required burn permits. During burning make sure that piles of landscape debris are no larger than four feet in diameter, provide a 10 foot clearance down to bare mineral soil around the burn pile and that a responsible adult is in attendance at all times with a water source and a shovel.
For more ways to prevent sparking a wildfire visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org.