Roughly 248 fires have broken out between Cal Fire state and federal lands since the start of 2024, Cal Fire SLO Public Information Officer Toni Davis said.
"Everyone loves to see the hills green but at the same time it’s going to turn brown and dry out and we want to be ahead of this," Davis said.
It takes year-round efforts to prepare and maintain the areas around your homes for fire season Davis says and that’s exactly what Heather Hurley a Los Osos resident does.
“We make sure we have a distance so that way if something does catch fire like the grass or the brush or woodchips that it's not going to affect our house and we try to keep our weeds to a minimum,” Hurley said.
However, this year has been a little different for her and her family.
“Because of all the rains we’ve had recently our weeds are pretty high but as soon as the rains are gone we'll be able to mow and weed whack them down,” Hurley said.
When landscaping around the house, think a little more rock and a little less vegetation, Cal Fire’s Toni Davis said. Davis also advises looking into upgrading items around the house.
“If you have the advantage to harden your home a little bit. Maybe if you have single pane windows or siding that is combustible versus something that’s not,” Davis said.
For fire safety tips visit this website.
