Fire officials said Wednesday's fire along Highway 1 is a good reminder for everyone to be prepared — no matter the time of year.
Officials said the fire burned 47 acres but is now 100% contained. It's one of several fires that have broken out this week in San Luis Obispo County.
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According to Cal Fire, this year, San Luis Obispo County has had 157 fires.
“It's now a 'fire year,'" Cal Fire Public Information Officer Toni Davis said. "It's no longer that set time frame of a certain amount of months in the summer."
With so many fires spread throughout the year, there are reasons why it’s considered a fire year instead of a fire season by fire officials.
“If we do not get that significant amount of rain to where everything is flourishing and green and in January, if everything is still dead and yellow and very susceptible to an ignition source, then we end up with a fire year,” Davis said.
While summer is commonly thought of as the time when fire season is at its peak, September and October tend to be the months with the highest wildfire risk in California, as dry autumn winds begin to pick up. That, combined with the now-dry vegetation being susceptible to the smallest of sparks, can cause rapidly moving brush fires.
Fire officials said that Santa Ana winds are not currently having a direct effect on San Luis Obispo County but that things like winds, warm temperatures and dry conditions always lead to an increased fire risk.
Davis said as a community we can still be susceptible to fire danger in January or February unless we get a lot of rain.
SEE MORE: Brush fire along Highway 1 in Morro Bay 100% contained
This past season, San Luis Obispo County had one of its wettest years ever recorded, receiving 39.2 inches — 178% of the average annual amount.
The record precipitation, mild summer — the coolest in more than a decade — and Tropical Storm Hilary's late August arrival helped to keep this year's fire season in the Golden State well below the five-year average of acres burned.
But that perfect storm of wildfire-reducing factors is not the norm.
As temperatures continue to increase due to climate change — California has warmed by almost three degrees in the last century — and once predictable rainfall patterns become less predictable and less reliable, the state becomes more susceptible to extended fire seasons. And, thus, a fire year.
The cause of the fire in Morro Bay is still under investigation but Davis shares tips on what residents can do at home to prevent dangerous sparks.
“[Have] a water source available, like, if you're going to be out disking a field, you want to make sure you're doing that before 10 a.m. and you have your water source available,” Davis said, referring to the soil-management method used by farmers and agricultural workers.
Cal Fire has a list of various resources on its website regarding wildfire prevention, which includes a property inspection guide. Officials have said proper inspection of tools before landscaping or yard work can help prevent dangerous sparks, too.
