Wildfire season typically begins around the middle of May in California, but there already have been a few flare-ups in the Central Valley. That means the season could be starting early this year. From Sacramento, Steve Shadley reports.
Wildfire season in California. It's another year and another question mark. While some moist weather is anticipated in coming weeks, overall April has been drier than normal keeping firefighters guessing how bad conditions will really be this spring and summer.
And, there's another uncertainty whether the state's budget crunch will mean less money to protect forests and neighborhoods from wildfires. Daniel Berlant is with CalFire , an agency that helps put wildfires out.
Berlant: We're waiting to hear back from the budget…which may not be for a couple of more months here to whether or not we'll have additional staffing or we'll have to reduce some of the stations, but whether or not there's an expansion or a reduction, our job is to protect lives and that's what we're going to do.
Berlant says property owners should get started protecting their homes and businesses for potential wildfires by clearing brush at least 100-feet around their structures.
