SAN DIEGO — The Caldor and Dixie fires continued to burn at an alarming rate in Northern California this weekend. With so many San Diego fire crews helping put out the flames, how does that affect San Diego if bigger fires were to occur?
Cal Fire's San Diego Fire Captain and Public Information Office Frank Lococo said they have 25 San Diego fire engines in Northern California and the peak fire season hasn’t even started yet in San Diego. He said the public needs to be prepared.
The Caldor Fire had scorched more than 200,000 acres, as of Sunday, and was 43%contained.
Cal Fire reported more than 700 homes are destroyed.
Captain Lococo said even though many San Diego crews are battling the blaze in Northern California, they still have plenty of fire crews to keep the community safe and prepared in Southern California.
"We continuously have been staffing our reserve and backup engines, if you will. We still have over have over three dozen available engines through Cal Fire San Diego and San Diego Country Fire Protection District. We also have multiple engines available through our local government cooperators and federal counterparts as well," said Lococo.
He said there are many ways the public needs to be proactive and take preventative measures.
"We still need public's help. Try to avoid any activities that could inadvertently start a wildland fire. Typically, especially this year, we've seen many fires start by angle grinders, vehicle fires, and vehicle maintenance issues. We have seen warm and dry conditions," said Lococo.
And he said the dry and warm conditions will most likely continue throughout the state.
"We've seen it before and they’ve seen experienced extreme weather in the northern part of the state. We can have the same environmental factors as well, so being cautious is paramount no matter where you're at in the state," said Lococo.
He also said to always have an evacuation plan in place and be ready for a wildfire; that way if you or your family ever gets an evacuation order, you can act quickly.
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