It may be cool and overcast in much of the Tri-Counties this week, but parts of the region are officially in high wildfire season.
Wildfire season is now considered to be year-round in California. Ventura County’s Mountain Fire last November and this January’s Southern California wildfires show that they can happen just about anytime. But high fire season is the months-long period when the danger is expected to be at its peak.
"From the Central Coast, all the way down to the border, it's supposed to be in a very high wildland fire hazard for the next four months due to the fuels and fuel moisture, and the weather," said John Owens, who is with the state fire agency CAL FIRE, and is also San Luis Obispo County’s Fire Chief.
On Monday, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties moved into what’s known as high fire season. Ventura County will make the same declaration on June 22. This is when heat and wind could create some of the most dangerous wildfire conditions. Fire agencies in the two counties have beefed up staffing to try to stop small brushfires before they become big ones.
"Regular fire season is you'll get a fire engine, you'll get an officer, you might get two fire engines, depending on how it's reported," said Santa Barbara County Fire Chief Mark Hartwig. "But in high fire season, if it's reported as an outdoor fire, you're going to get four engines, you're going to get water tenders, you're going to get aircraft, you're going to get heavy equipment, you're going to get crews. What we don't want to do is get to the scene, and recognize we need them (more equipment and personnel), and start the clock then, taking another half hour, or 45 minutes, depending on where it is in the wildland to get there."
The chief said they are also asking the community to help with preparedness. It’s time to ensure the brush is cleared around your property and that you and your family have evacuation plans if you live in a potentially at-risk area. And, he said, if there is a wildfire, don’t wait until you see flames or smoke to evacuate.
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"It will take hours for us to evacuate whole communities," said Hartwig. "That's the simple fact. So, if you don't want to be in a situation where you are abandoning your car, and in some cases running for your life in a fast-approaching wildfire, then leave earlier."
Some people are confused about the meaning of evacuation warnings and orders.
"An evacuation warning...that's when we're trying to notify the public that we have a dangerous situation. We want everyone to be aware of what's going on," said Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown. "We're doing the best we can at this point to try to turn the fire, or to get it where it's controlled. A warning may or may not result in an evacuation order. If the fire moves rapidly (or) endangers neighborhoods, we will switch from the evacuation warning to the evacuation order. The order is, it's time to leave now, and evacuate."
The Sheriff also said there are cases when people should evacuate even when it’s a warning and not an order. He said people with mobility issues that could slow their evacuation should leave earlier. The same goes for people with large animals.
While San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties have moved into high fire season, the vegetation fuel levels haven’t reached dangerous levels yet, but they are expected to soon.
"This year, we were expecting it to be a little drier (by this time), but we had some storms come in a little bit later in this first half of the year," said Santa Barbara County Fire Marshal Fred Tan. "So right now, fuel moistures are lower in the northern part of the county, and a little higher in the southern part of the county. We're still in a fairly good spot."
While it’s so far, so good, a few weeks of hot, dry weather will dry out fuels and create dangerous wildfire conditions. The traditional June gloom, with low clouds, fog, and drizzle, may delay it on the coast. But we’ve already started seeing small brush fires in inland areas.
