This is Wildfire Preparedness Week, and fire officials are reminding residents throughout San Diego County about the importance of being ready for evacuation since the threat of fire is year-round.
“A lot of people think of the wildland, the back country, but 2003 and 2007 were eye opening because it pushed into the communities,” said Thomas Shoots, fire captain and public information officer with Cal Fire.
“There has since been a ton of good work by the fire departments and public to create defensible space. But there is potential countywide, in the Poway and Rancho Bernardo areas because of the canyons and lack of rainfall this year,” Shoots said. “There is additional fire danger because of the dried out grass and brush. It is drier than normal in the county and the state as a whole.