Fire Test Gives Herald Residents Warning
HERALD (CBS13) - A small wildfire ripped through a Herald community near dozens of homes.
Water dropping helicopters swooped over this small community threatened by fire.
Brien Campbell lives in the community.
"When the wind was blowing, it was roaring," said Campbell.
He was among the first responders before fire crews arrived.
"It don't blow one direction out here," said Campbell. "It swirls, so it causes what everybody would think was a tornado.
Most people who live near a grove of eucalyptus trees in Herald are ready for this type of surprise.
"We all get together as neighbors," said Debbie Campbell. "Everybody notifies everybody else."
The fire season is a busy one, here and all over California, following a dry winter.
So a Cal Fire captain used a 10 acre scare as a lesson in defensible space.
"Especially this time of year, even a little earlier this year. We're getting dry weather, and fuels are ready to burn as you saw today," said Captain Christopher Sauer. "That was a little warning shot. It can get a lot worse as temperatures go up."
For neighbors new to this area, the warning is serving as a wakeup call.
