Wildfire season makes fast start. Is it a sign of more trouble?

Could the wildfires that broke out over the weekend — burning more than 13,000 acres and forcing thousands to leave their homes — be a sign of more to come for Northern California this summer?

Officials say it's too soon to say, but the wildfire season has made a fast start.

"It's definitely off and running," California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokesperson Lynne Tolmachoff said. "We'll keep a close eye on it and see how the rest of the year goes."

Stanislaus County Deputy Fire Warden Erik Klevmyr said as of now it's expected to be "an above average fire season, which is becoming kind of the new normal."

This comes after last year's destructive and devastating wildfire season. The Sacramento Bee — citing preliminary Cal Fire data — has reported there were about 9,000 wildfires that burned more than 1.2 million acres last season.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for the weekend because conditions were prime for wildfires. That meant temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, wind and low humidity in the Central Valley and part of the Bay Area.

Those conditions could return. While the weather service is predicting normal temperatures in the 90s for the next several days in Northern California's interior, it expects temperatures to reach triple digits Friday through Sunday, with wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph and low humidity.

"North (dry) winds Friday through Sunday increase the potential for fire starts and spread," the weather service said Monday. "High temperatures Friday and into the weekend may increase heat related illnesses for sensitive groups exposed to prolonged outdoor heat, especially the elderly, and children."

Wildfires continued to burn in Lake, Shasta and Tehama counties.

Closer to home, Cal Fire reported Monday morning that the Flat Fire in Tuolumne County was 35 percent contained and its forward spread stopped after burning 162 acres. And the Horse Fire in Calaveras County was 80 percent contained after burning 80 acres.

Local fire agencies deployed a strike team to help fight the Lane Fire in Tehama County, about 200 miles north of Modesto. Eighteen firefighters, along with three engines and two brush trucks, from Stanislaus and Tuolumne county agencies are among the firefighters deployed at the fire.

The Modesto Fire Department contributed to the strike team, and Operations Division Chief Mike Lillie said his department typically is not needed for a team until mid July.

"It could be an early start to a very long and challenging season," he said, "or an early start to where things taper off. It's hard to say from year to year."

This story was originally published June 25, 2018 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Wildfire season makes fast start. Is it a sign of more trouble?."