Our View: Strange to see almond forest on fire

Usually, the firefighters are heading the other direction.

Fire crews from around the region streamed into north Stanislaus County on Thursday afternoon to face down a series of small fires that started on the north side of the Stanislaus River, cleared the shallow flow on high winds, then popped up in small fires sometimes hundreds of yards apart on both sides of McHenry Avenue. If it hadn’t been 95 degrees outside with flames leaping 60 feet into the air, we would call the situation “chilling.”

Though it took several anxious hours, more than 100 firefighters responded and brought all the fires under control by nightfall. Unfortunately, several structures were destroyed. Only one person was injured and, thank goodness, those injuries were minor.

Normally, if our firefighters are on the move, they’re driving into the Sierra to help put out forest fires. But Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties are covered with vast almond and walnut forests. And the area around the Stanislaus River is thick with trees – oak, brush and a few pines on the river’s steep banks before giving way to those nut forests.

There’s no doubt that without quick action and a coordinated response involving both counties, this could have turned into a much, much worse incident.

Regardless of how unusual it might seem to be fighting a forest fire so close to Modesto, we appreciate the quick response, professionalism and dedication it took to put out those many fires – large and small – on a day with 95-degree temperatures and 15-mph winds.

The smell of irony

While some of The Bee’s reporters and photographers were busy covering fires Thursday (there were others near Beard Industrial tract, at Johansen High and just off Crows Landing Road), reporter Ken Carlson was gathering information about voters’ rejection of an increase in Salida’s Fire Protection District assessments. Supervisor Terry Withrow called the timing “ironic.” For supporters of the increase, it was bad timing. While having six more firefighters stationed near Del Rio might not have had any impact on Thursday’s efforts, it would have provided better coverage for the district’s other responsibilities. And considering how many fires broke out in the area on Thursday, the help would have been appreciated.

Brown is the new green

According to city officials, Modesto met its water-reduction goal during the month of May. It wasn’t easy, and a freak, late-season shower no doubt helped. But residents cut water use 36.5 percent. That means instead of using nearly 200 gallons each per day, we cut consumption to roughly 130 gallons. Impressive. But that doesn’t mean we can slack off – no matter how crunchy and brown our lawns become. In fact, many cities around Modesto have cut even more. Ceres residents were using only 108 gallons per day, Oakdale 103, Newman 98. Among the best in the valley is Elk Grove at 85 gallons per day. Some cities, like Ripon (using 163 gallons per day), have a long way to go.

It would be nice if we could find a way to make much of this conservation permanent. To that end, we’ll renew our call for the city – and all the other cities in the region – to offer cash incentives to help residents replace water-sucking lawns with xeriscape plantings. And we’d like to see other public agencies – that means the irrigation districts – join the effort. We’ve heard their insistence that they can’t get involved, but the world’s largest water wholesaler – Metropolitan Water District – has spent $100 million helping residents in its client cities replace thirsty landscaping.

Much closer to home, Manteca (which was told to cut 32 percent) implemented a cash-for-grass program in April, paying residents $1 for every square foot of lawn removed and hired extra inspectors at the oddest hours to catch scofflaws. Now Manteca uses 104 gallons per day per person. Impressive.

Making a dad happy

There are plenty of great quotes about being a father (or having a great father) to be found on the Internet, so we won’t try to compete in poignancy. But we will point out that most dads are happiest when spending time with the ones who helped them earn that title. And if you really want to make a dad happy, ask him to show you how to do something. When he’s done, you can ask Mom to either fix it or clean up the mess. And if your own dad isn’t around, a group called Visiting Angels has a suggestion: Visit a care home and ask; there’s no doubt that someone’s dad could use a visit.

This story was originally published June 20, 2015 at 7:50 AM with the headline "Our View: Strange to see almond forest on fire."