California's fire season has been bad. But it could have been much worse
By Susie Cagle
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Between proactive planning and investments – and no shortage of luck – firefighters have been extraordinarily successful in mitigating and fighting blazes in extreme weather conditions.
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Fall is traditionally fire season for California, as the Diablo winds in the north and Santa Ana winds in the south blow down the hillsides and across forests and brushland that has dried out from the summer heat, but not yet wetted by winter rains. Extreme winds make the vegetation especially flammable, and threaten to whip up flames and carry hot embers further and faster, creating new “spot” fires across the landscape.
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“The prevention side of it is so important,” said Scott McLean, an information officer for Cal Fire, the state land and fire management agency that coordinates wildfire operations. Cal Fire can’t make the power lines stop sparking new blazes, but it has focused heavily on vegetation management programs, including prescribed burning and installing fuel breaks, as well as investing in local Fire Safe Councils and the Firewise Communities Program.
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Given the unprecedented weather conditions this October, fire officials acted out of an abundance of caution. During red flag warnings, firefighters pre-stage across the hills facing high winds and fire risk, and teams patrol neighborhoods, looking for any new hazards.
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