In response to a forecast of critical fire weather conditions, CAL FIRE has increased firefighter staffing and pre-positioned resources throughout Southern California. The National Weather Service predicts strong offshore winds, low humidity, and high fire risk from Tuesday through Thursday.
· CAL FIRE is strategically moving firefighting resources from Northern California into Southern California including 45 additional fire engines and six additional hand crews to Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties.
· In addition to resources from Northern California, CAL FIRE San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego Units will staff additional firefighting resources above normal levels including fire engines, handcrews, bulldozers, water tenders and supervisory personnel 24/7.
· Staffing additional aerial firefighting resources in the region.
Augmenting regional intelligence, dispatch and investigative resources
“As we experienced in Ventura County in November with the Mountain Fire and again in December with the Franklin Fire in Malibu, wildfire is a year-round threat,” said CAL FIRE Director/Chief Joe Tyler. “Please be vigilant and don’t be the cause of the next wildfire in your community.”
Chief Tyler reminds residents what while CAL FIRE and our partners are bolstering staffing and resources, 95% of wildfires are human caused. We need the public’s vigilance to prevent new fires.