'Don't Do Anything Stupid' — Fire Officials Send Strong Message During California Drought
POLLOCK PINES (CBS13) — California wildlife officials are warning this fire season could be very destructive as California is in the fourth year of its drought.
Cal Fire met with local and federal fire agencies to send a dire warning to the public about the upcoming fire season, and it was all done with the backdrop of last year's devastating King Fire.
The fear is this season will hold the same threats.
"Don't do anything stupid; we have to reiterate that, that is the message: Don't do anything stupid," said John Laird with the California Department of Natural Resources.
Cal Fire, along with the U.S. Forest Service and local agencies met to remind people to conserve water that will be needed to fight fires and to get rid of fuels the drought is creating.
"You need to remove that vegetation as it dries, we don't want your dry lawn and dry brush to contribute to more of the fire hazard," said Cal Fire director Ken Pimlott.
Last year's conditions spawned the 97,000-acre King Fire, and a year earlier the Rim Fire, the third-largest wildfire in state history burned in the Yosemite area.
Kimberly O'Connor remembers it all. Her home in Pollock Pines was so close to the King Fire, a normal life in the woods wasn't possible.
"We had our cars packed for a solid week, because it kept blowing up and then going down, and then it really blew up by Tuesday, Wednesday," she said.
Cal Fire has given $9 million to local communities to clear dead trees and brush. They've worked closely with the federal government and logging industry to do the same.
"We are taking this very seriously, in the last 13 years, we've had probably 10 of the top 20 most damaging fires in the state's history," Pimlott said.
