SAN DIEGO — With the oncoming heat wave, conditions are ripe for wildfires. CBS 8 checked in with Cal Fire San Diego about how firefighters are preparing for this week’s heat wave.
“Here’s where we’re just checking out our equipment, making sure we’re ready for this weekend,” said Fire Captain, Brent Pascua, with Cal Fire for San Diego County, while checking hoses on an engine at their San Marcos station. “It’s already getting warm out here, so we want to make sure things are ready to go.”
With several fires breaking out over the weekend, including in Oceanside and Potrero, firefighters are on high alert and are staying vigilant.
“Last weekend was kind of a preview of what’s to come, but with this weekend being even hotter, hopefully, we don’t have fires but it’s going to be hotter and drier, that’s why we have to be very careful,” said Fire Captain Pascua. With rising temperatures across the county, the National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning from 10:00 a.m. Tuesday to 8:00 p.m. Sunday for the desert and mountain areas.
“With the heat wave coming, the brush is going to die off even more than it already has, you can see the grass has already died off, now the bigger bushes, they’re starting to get more brown in them,” said Fire Captain Pascua. “It’s really important we’re creating that defensible space around our homes now.”
Cal Fire advises homeowners to take the time to clear out brush and vegetation around their homes so wildfires can’t spread as easily.
“Around your home, you want to think about it as lean, clean, and green, especially within that 30 feet or up to 100 feet if you can, but you want to clear it out, the dead, dying vegetation,” said Fire Captain Pascua. “You want to make sure your bushes and trees have spacing in between them so they don’t carry that fire and create a lot of heat.”
As far as readiness and staffing levels, Fire Captain Pascua says they’re ready to ramp things up at a moment’s notice.
“We’re already prepping for this weekend, this whole week all of our firefighters, everyone’s getting ready, staying hydrated, all our crews are fully staffed,” said Fire Captain Pascua. “If we need to staff them, we can at any time, so that’s a potential too that we’re looking at.”
Cal Fire says this is the time to be mindful about doing things that can create a spark and start a fire, like tossing a cigarette or simply pulling your car off on the side of the road over grass or weeds. With these dry conditions, anything can happen.
“Don’t hesitate to call 911 if you see smoke or fire, that way we can get all of our engines rolling and get there and get it out quickly,” said Fire Captain Pascua. For more information about wildfire readiness, go to readyforwildfire.org.
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