Cal Fire officials bolster station staffing as wildfire weather arrives

High winds, warmer temperatures and plummeting humidity in Northern California prompted the state’s largest firefighting force this week to issue early orders bolstering staff numbers at stations across the region, where conditions are already setting up to fuel the type of large blazes that raged last fall.

Forecasts calling for gusts up to 55 mph Friday evening and overnight at the highest elevations of the North Bay were a key factor in the call by Cal Fire, which moved up by a few days its reinforcement of fire stations in the region.

“We were thinking the weather would hold a little longer,” said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Marshall Turbeville. The agency was set to add season firefighting staff on Monday. “Instead we staffed them (Friday) primarily due to winds and the warm weather. The winds are there, the fuels just aren’t quite, but under the right conditions things are possible.”

Friday’s high of 85 degrees in downtown Santa Rosa was just off the peak so far this year -?86 degrees at the end of March, according to the National Weather Service. Today’s predicted high could top that, however, and with months of warmer weather ahead, the arrival of fire season in the region is clear to most, if it wasn’t already, officials said.

“I’m sure everyone in the North Bay is on edge and paying very close attention that we’re having a wind event (Friday night), and that’s a good thing,” said Amy Head, Cal Fire spokeswoman. “We need people to be aware and vigilant.”

Moisture levels in brush remain relatively good for this time of year, officials said, but hot, windy days can change that quickly, resulting in the type of conditions that fueled October’s firestorm.

“Imagine a three-legged stool,” said Scott Rowe, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Monterey. “We have high wind speeds and relative humidity that’s low, but we don’t have exceptionally dry fuels. It’s just too early in the season for that.”

A small debris fire off the Mendocino Coast north of Gualala got out of control Friday about 3 p.m. and burned over 4,000 square feet before Cal Fire and South Coast Fire crews put it out.

After 5 a.m. today, winds were forecast to die down, with the strongest gusts expected to top out at 35 mph, decreasing through the weekend. That will reduce immediate risks.

“Wind by itself may not cause a fire, but it enhances grasses drying out,” said Turbeville. “It wicks away the moisture, speeding up the curing of the grasses and all vegetation as we enter the summer months.”

Cal Fire has been canvassing the state with its “Ready-Set-Go!” campaign, requesting residents follow a list of tips to give them the best chance to stop a wildfire from spreading to homes.

That includes creating 100 feet of defensible space around properties by thinning trees, cutting grasses and removing leaves from gutters, among many other preventive measures. For a full list of recommended steps, visit readyforwildfire.org.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin Fixler at 707-521-5336 or at kevin.fixler@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @kfixler.