Cal Fire: Norcal Fuels Drying Rapidly in Heat, Wind

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As Red Flag fire conditions returned to much of Northern California this week, Cal Fire’s Sonoma County Air Attack base has been busy with several small and medium grass fires, and has also helped on a few larger blazes in Central California.

The base is fully staffed and is currently serving as a training facility for Cal Fire personnel. It is also is hosting an extra air tanker through the end of the month while Ukiah’s base is temporarily closed for maintenance.

The return of hot, dry conditions to the North Bay in June is nothing new, but fire officials say at present enough fuel moisture remains in most vegetation to slow the rate of fire growth. A pair of grassfires last week in Sonoma County and two others Wednesday and Thursday were stopped before they could rage out of control.

But Cal Fire Batallion Chief Jake Serrano says with a long run of hot weather in the forecast, that will change very quickly.

Last year a cool, wet spring delayed the onset of the fire season for weeks. However by mid-summer critical fire conditions returned to the region culminating in the Kincade Fire in late October. That blaze raged across Sonoma County for days, forced the evacuation of the cities of Healdsburg and Windsor, and eventually became the largest fire in Sonoma County history.