CalFire says it’s already responded to 300 wildfires this year, up from the 50 that would be normal for this time in a typical year. Now the agency is asking landowners to clear defensible space around homes months before they normally would.
Dave Zaski with the North Tahoe Fire Department says people need to be extra careful to avoid causing fires.
“We can’t do anything about lightning," he said. "But the most damaging fires are human caused, like the Rim Fire, where they had a camp ground fire when they shouldn’t have had.”
Zaski said the region has already seen a wild land fire on the Nevada side of the lake. He says that’s unusual because the fire was at an elevation of 7,000 feet.
![A 585-acre fire near Kiefer Boulevard in Rancho Cordova broke out and was subsequently contained on June 17, 2024. Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department](/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,width=186,height=140,fit=crop/media/12274207/gqukw4saqaarssxp.jpg)
July 15, 2024Last month, a fire originating from a Rancho Cordova encampment burned nearly 600 acres. Advocates say unhoused people should be equipped with tools like fire extinguishers to help stop them.
![Flames consume a garage as the Thompson Fire burns in Oroville, Calif., Tuesday, July 2, 2024. An extended heat wave blanketing Northern California has resulted in red flag fire warnings and power shutoffs. AP Photo/Noah Berger](/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,width=186,height=140,fit=crop/media/12274094/ap24185282959841p.jpg)
July 5, 2024Officials say thousands of people evacuated during a Northern California wildfire have been allowed to return home. The Thompson Fire near Oroville has stayed roughly the same size since Wednesday but containment increased to 29% Thursday.
![Brian Gobba, left, stands with his wife Morgan and their son in front of the family's new home in Paradise, Calif., Friday, June 14, 2024. AP Photo/Nic Coury](/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,width=186,height=140,fit=crop/media/12273978/062524paradiseap24168582007768-p.jpg)
June 25, 2024Households in Paradise are confronting an insurability crisis as companies raise premiums and discontinue policies in California. But a local foundation is trying to help those families find ways to qualify for and afford private insurance again.
![Crochet granny squares representing January through May average temperatures in Sacramento, produced as part of CapRadio's temperature blanket. Claire Morgan/CapRadio](/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,width=186,height=140,fit=crop/media/12273882/061724temperatureblanket_img_5464.jpg)
June 18, 2024Sweltering temperatures have resulted in a series of excessive heat warnings for the Sacramento Valley — and some new colors in our temperature blanket.
![An air tanker drops retardant while battling the Aero Fire in the Copperopolis community of Calaveras County, Calif., Monday, June 17, 2024. AP Photo/Noah Berger](/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,width=186,height=140,fit=crop/media/12273895/061724aerofire_ap24170190586169-p.jpg)
June 17, 2024Nearly a dozen large wildfires were burning across the state Monday evening. A red flag warning for increased wildfire risk is set to expire Tuesday at 8 a.m.
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