Modesto Fire contains a fire at the Tuolumne River Regional Park seen from the 9th Street Bridge in Modesto, Calif., on Friday, Aug. 4, 2021.
Andy Alfaro
aalfaro@modbee.com
After a water year that was well above average, residents in Stanislaus and Tuolumne counties should keep in mind that much of the lush vegetation enjoyed this spring is drying into fire fuel as summer heat sets in.
According to Frontline Wildfire Defense, peak fire season runs from July through October, with the period of highest risk landing during September and October.
Modesto Fire Department Capt. Jim Black said that for residents of Northern California, however, fire season can stretch from May through December. “So if it’s a drier winter, we don’t get a lot of rain or snow, it can start as early as May in Northern California,” Black said. “And then it does go through the summer.”
“We had such a really wet winter that there’s a lot more growth than normal,” Black said “So there’s a lot more vegetation that’s grown and it’s probably a lot taller and thicker than it has been in past years. So that will pose a problem for the grass areas out in the county.”
Within the city of Modesto, there is less vegetation than there is near Oakdale and outer areas of Stanislaus County and in Tuolumne County. Areas like Diablo Grande have a higher risk because they are surrounded by grasslands, Black said.
A Modesto Firefighter puts out hot spots after a grass fire in the Tuolumne River Regional Park in Modesto, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 20, 2021. Andy Alfaro aalfaro@modbee.com
RESIDENTS ADVISED TO CREATE “DEFENSIBLE SPACE”
“The one major thing is to make sure you have at least a hundred feet of defensible space around your property,” Black said. “That can come in the form of if you have turf or grass or any kind of noncombustible-type plants and stuff like that.”
For residents with grass or brush within 100 feet of their homes, Black recommended removing what’s dead or dry. For residents in the higher country or near taller trees, he advised clearing any dropped pine needles and dry leaves.
“Make sure they’re all off the roof and the gutters are all cleared of any of that as well,” Black said.
Black said firefighters engage in simulations of evacuating injured individuals in the wildland interface, pumping and rolling, and getting into the protective shelter to prepare for fire season. During larger fires, one group of firefighters can remain nearby for as long as 21 days before swapping with another team.
To prepare for fires, Cal Fire offers resources at Fire.ca.gov/prepare on staying ready, creating an emergency plan and understanding when to evacuate. Black said if you smell or see fire, call 911.
This story was originally published July 7, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
Hamera Shabbir, an environmental studies major at Yale, is a summer reporting intern for The Modesto Bee. Previously, she covered environmental science for the Yale Daily News before serving as its sports editor.
