Local fire agencies are preparing for an increase in calls as critical fire weather develops Thursday and Friday in Northern California.
It all comes on the heels of the first 100 degree temperatures of the year, which is continuing to dry out lower elevation fuels like grasses.
Late season rain in April and May helped slow the growing fire danger the valley was seeing after record dry conditions January through March, but Captain Keith Wade, spokesperson for the Sacramento Fire Department, said they are now seeing an uptick in calls for grass and vegetation fires as recent heat dries out fuels like grasses. Wade said they are getting calls to respond to at least five to ten grass fires every day as the weather transitions to the dry season and warming weather blankets the valley.