PD Editorial: Drought, heat and a busy fire season

Photos from Lake County’s fire zone tell a frightening story: Firefighters battling walls of flame in rugged terrain, people choosing which belongings to save before fleeing their homes, others surveying the damage after the fire passed.

The Rocky fire is the largest of about two dozen wildfires burning in California as a volatile mix of summer heat and extreme drought strains the limits of firefighters and the nerves of rural residents.

“We’re seeing fire behavior that’s unprecedented because of drought conditions over the last four years,” said Rick Frawley, a spokesman for Cal Fire in Lake County, where the Rocky fire exploded over the weekend, outrunning efforts to contain the blaze.

As of Monday, the fire had scorched about 85 square miles of dense forest and thick brush and was just 12 percent contained after burning for five days. About 13,000 people had received evacuation orders, and 50 structures, including 24 homes, had been destroyed, according to Cal Fire. More than 6,300 buildings in three counties were threatened, and authorities predicted that it will take another week to get a line around the fire.

Almost 3,000 firefighters are working to halt the Rocky fire’s advance, assisted by 19 helicopters and four air tankers. Many of the crews arrived in Lake County with little or no respite after long days on the front lines at the Wragg Fire near Lake Berryessa and other hot spots around the state.

With dry lightning in the forecast for the Sierra, it’s likely that many of these firefighters will be on the move yet again as soon as they’re released from the Rocky fire.

It’s difficult, dangerous work, and we’re grateful for their service.

Fire season is just getting started, and, as might be expected after four years of drought, the outlook is dire for firefighters and rural property owners alike.

As Gov. Jerry Brown said in a weekend statement announcing an emergency declaration: “California’s severe drought and extreme weather have turned much of the state into a tinderbox.”

Indeed, more than 130,000 acres already have burned this summer, nearly three times the five-year average for this early point in the fire season, according to statistics posted by Cal Fire.

Extreme fire danger, like the drought, isn’t just a California concern. Major fires also are burning in Oregon, Washington, Montana and Wyoming, and federal officials have warned about the potential for catastrophe in the coming months, citing a steady loss of moisture in trees and other vegetation after years of extreme heat attributed to climate change.

Many, if not most, residents in rural areas understand that they need to maintain a defensible space around their homes and be prepared to evacuate quickly, as many Lake County families have been forced to do this past week.

California is always susceptible to wildfires, but this has the potential to be an especially dangerous year for fires. Be ready and be safe.