CAL FIRE is warning that a dangerous wildfire season has already started in California. So far more than 40,000 acres have burned statewide. That number doesn’t include new fires over the weekend.
Unusually dry conditions have brought the wildfire season to northern California as much as six weeks early.
California Governor Jerry Brown has declared this week “Wildfire Awareness Week.” He linked the early fire season to climate change. He says drier, warmer weather will likely mean more expensive fire seasons in the future.
“I’m going to do everything I can to deal with forest fires but also with the whole problem of climate change," Brown said. "But then the big issue of how do we adapt.”
State fire crews have responded to 1,100 wildfires so far, about 550 more than this time last year.
CAL FIRE is urging homeowners to remove debris from rooftops and from within 100 feet of their home.
