Fire season still far from over

With three major wildfires already doing a lot of damage on the Central Coast, many might think peak wildfire season has already come and gone. But it’s actually just beginning.

Familiar names by now….the Chimney, the Soberanes, and the Loma. Three major wildfires that combined have burned more than 100-thousand acres on the Central Coast, all part of wildfire season.

“Fire Season is normally declared by Cal Fire in April, and it will usually last until November,” said Cal Fire Captain, John Spooner.

But when it comes peak wildfire season, well, that’s just begun.

“Summer progresses into fall, fuels progressively become dryer and dryer, and the wildland fires become more frequent and larger,” said Spooner.

Combine that with California’s years-long dry-spell.

“We’re in a long drought-cycle right now. In a wet year, we might have been able to catch the Soberanes fire. But because the fuels were so dry, they spread very quickly our of the drainage that it started in,” said Spooner.

While lightning is sometimes to blame for sparking wildfires, humans were at fault for the fire that’s burned in Monterey County since July 22nd.

“With the Soberanes, for example, the fire was started by an illegal campfire,” said Spooner.

And that one little campfire set off one of the most expensive wildfires to fight in U.S. history.

“Lightning typically hits the top of ridges, and fires typically burn much slower downhill than it does uphill. So this fire was caused down in the lower canyon, and then you had the winds behind it, and that’s where you had your explosive burning up the hill and into the forest,” said Soberanes Fire Pio, Denise Alonzo.

Cal Fire is asking everyone to be extremely cautious and fire-safe this season, as the ongoing drought takes a bigger toll every year.

“Little bit worse this year because it’s dryer than it’s been in previous years. Who knows what it will be next year,” said Spooner.