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Lake County has been designated a high fire hazard area by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection! A
CDF Fire Hazard Severity Zone map shows the South County
area to be among the most threatened.
The Chance of a Wildfire Starting . .
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increases in direct proportion to population. The population density of Lake County is increasing
rapidly, with most of the new homes located in high fire-hazardous
areas. Many owners are either unaware of sound fire prevention
practices, or casually disregard them. The result is increased risk to the watershed resources, and increased threat to life and property.
Firefighters recognize three components of fire environment: Fuel, Weather, and Topography. These three components determine how a wildfire will behave.
Fuel ~ is required for an fire to burn. In regard to wildfire, fuel almost always consists of living vegetation (trees, shrubs, grasses) and dead plant materials (pine needles, leaves, fallen branches, and dead trees). Houses are also fuel for a wildland fire.
Weather ~ Hot and dry weather during the summer fire season increases the likelihood of a wildfire ignition. These conditions exist for approximately 100 days each summer. Winds also influence fire behavior by allowing the fire to spread faster, extending flame lengths, and increasing the amount of fuel available. Wind, especially from the north and east, will dramatically increase the spread of the fire.
Topography ~ Is the "lay of the land" and can have considerable influence on fire behavior. The steeper the slope the faster the fire will spread. South- and
Southwest-facing slopes also tend to have drier fuels and the greatest number of fires. Drainages or chimneys can significantly increase the rate of
a fire's spread by funneling the fire into these topographical features.
Together, fuels, weather, and topography define the fire environment and in turn, determine the ease at which a wildfire will start, the speed at which it will spread, the intensity at which it will burn, and the time in which it can be controlled.
Fuel is the only component
that firefighters and the public can change.
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