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Drier, Hotter Conditions: Could This Year's Fire Season Last Longer Than Normal?

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Many people are wondering if the current weather conditions are a sign of what could be a long, dry, and dangerous summer.

Ofelia Alvarado rushed to her South Sacramento home to warn her grandson about a brush fire that sparked near their property Monday morning.

"The empty lot over here -- it caught on fire," she said.

Her husband even spent time hosing down their home for safety.

"It was dry so with this wind it didn't take minutes to catch," she said.

With the fast-approaching fire season, CAL FIRE says it's been working non-stop across the state trying to reduce large amounts of fuel. Since July, there have been more than 11,000 acres worth of prescribed burns and CAL FIRE has completed more than 9,700 acres of other fuel reduction work.

It's a year-round effort with fire conditions already threatening the state sooner. So, could this fire season be just as bad and last longer than normal?

"There's no question about it, it's the reality that we are facing," said CAL FIRE Battalion Chief of Communications.

Sheri Sartore has felt the changes in weather conditions. Add in the current drought, she worries about what's to come.

"The potential is there for it to be worse," she said. "I think they have to look at what's happening now and that's what our future is at this point."

CAL FIRE reminds the community to create a fire preparedness plan and create defensible space around your property.

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