San Diego

Cal Fire Beefs Up Staff, Braces for Dangerous Fire Season in Bay Area

Cal Fire is preparing for what it calls a dangerous fire season in the Bay Area by beefing up its staff and training for new firefighters.

On Monday, 28 firefighters, including six new ones, started training and getting their gear in Morgan Hill.

"We haven't had that in the last three or four years because of the drought," Cal Fire Battalion Chief Nick Ciardella said of high grass popping up throughout the region. "And with these light, flashy fuels, they're more receptive to starts. And once that fire starts, it spreads a lot faster."

Cal Fire saw that in last year's Loma Fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains thick brush kept flames roaring for days at a time. Firefighters said this year's rains will create more of those situations.

"We definitely got to be a lot more cautious on how we approach a fire," said Erik Long, a Cal Fire firefighter.

Meanwhile, five engines from the Bay Area left for Southern California to help battle fires near San Diego, Riverside and Fresno.

Cal Fire firefighters will go through extensive training all this week, including air rescues. Bay Area fire stations should be fully staffed with the extra help by next Monday.

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