CONTRA COSTA COUNTY (KRON) – There’s a high fire danger today because of hot weather.
Fire officials now say more than two-thirds of Contra Costa County is at risk of devastating wildfires.
A spokesperson for the Fire Protection District says the winter rain made things worse this fire season.
Overgrowth has resulted in about twice as much fuel that can burn compared to last year, and the wind is expected to blow more frequently once fall arrives.
“We’re seeing the fires down in what we think of as the flatlands early in the season. That wasn’t the case in the last couple of years. We tended to be fighting fire this time of year, up on the ridgelines, on the hillsides, that sort of thing,” said Steve Hill with the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.
Firefighters say that people are responsible for starting the majority of fires, which means most are preventable.
The Fire Protection District has already fought at least 125 brush fires this fire season.
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