Extreme heat, fire danger return to the North State

It’s going to be extremely hot Friday and Saturday. And that heat will be paired with wind and low humidity, which means elevated fire weather conditions.

Rick Carhart, public information officer with Cal Fire’s Butte Unit, said the agency is at peak staffing and has already responded to several small wildfires in the area.

“We are ready to go and respond to any fires that might pop up. But we definitely do have some tips for people out there, just to make sure that everybody's doing everything the right way,” he said.

What is the right way? Carhart says it’s to be really careful with anything that can cause sparks.

“With the weather the way it is, with how hot it is, how dry it's going to be, basically pretty much any time that a spark gets into the grass, there's a really good chance it's going to start a fire,” Carhart said, “and that fire is going to have a very easy time spreading very quickly.”

He said a common thing to be careful about is using power equipment in elevated fire conditions, as lawn mowers and weed eaters can hit a rock and cause a spark. But he also said to be vigilant when driving.

“Many of us have seen chains while we're driving down the highway, a vehicle that's towing a trailer and there's a chain on the ground, and you could just see those sparks flying up,” Carhart said.

Chains should not be dragging while towing, and Carhart said drivers should make sure to double-check them.

Many other things related to driving can also cause fires, including an improperly inflated tire that explodes, driving on a rim due to a flat tire and pulling your car over in dry grass.

According to Cal Fire 95-97% of all wildfires in California are caused by human sources.