State fire officials are warning the relative calm of this fire season could easily come to end. Daniel Berlant is with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. He says the rain and lower temperatures from a couple months ago are long gone.
"That weather pattern has definitely changed, we’re now seeing extremely warm temperatures and low humidity around the state, and that has increased the fire danger. And it’s so important for people to remember as we’re in July that we’re now in fire season," says Berlant.
This time last year, at least a thousand lighting- caused wildfires were blazing all around the state. About a million acres were scorched. But according to Berlant, the majority of wildfires in California are human-caused. He urges caution this summer. For instance, Berlant says it’s not a good idea use a lawn mower or weed cutter on a dry, windy day because it only takes one spark to start a major fire.
