Federal Officials Raise Wildland Fire Preparedness Level To Highest Alert

Due to increased risk of wildland fires, on Tuesday an agency comprised of top federal and state fire managers raised the national fire Preparedness Level to its highest point.

"Up until yesterday we were at a Level 4," explained National Interagency Fire Center spokesman Mike Ferris.

But Monday night weather and current fire conditions, which include active fires burning throughout the west, prompted a decision by the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group to bump up to the highest mark, Ferris said.

The Preparedness Level ranges from one, indicating minimal activity, to five, which signals very high activity.

The heightened alert reflects a high degree of wildfire activity, a major commitment of fire resources, and the probability that severe conditions will continue for at least a few days – maybe longer, Ferris continued.

Lightning storms, particularly in Northern California and moving east through Idaho and up through Montana, have officials on high alert. Locally, Monday morning’s lightning storm sparked small fires in the Lake Elsinore area, but crews were able to quickly knock them down.

The weather forecast calls for a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms in the local mountains tonight.

"The decision to move to Preparedness Level 5 reflects the complexity facing our federal and non-federal fire managers," said Department of the Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. "This has been a difficult and tragic season, including the loss of 30 of our nation’s firefighters."

As of Tuesday, 31,986 wildfires have burned 3.4 million acres in the United States this year, according to Ferris. While both of those figures roughly represent only about 60 percent of the 10-year average, wildfire activity has escalated in recent days after thunderstorms, many with little or no moisture, moved across parts of California, Oregon, Idaho and Montana, sparking hundreds of new fires.

The fire forecast for most of the West shows a general continuation of hot and dry weather into the fall, according to Ferris.

Tuesday marks only the fifth time that Preparedness Level-5 has been reached in the last 10 years. The high level indicates fire suppression resources are becoming scarce, said Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

During PL-5, further assistance from the military, beyond what is already in use, and international resources may be considered and requested, but no decisions have been made concerning those steps, according to Ferris.

Ferris said when PL-5 is reached, difficult choices get made.

"It's a hard call. Who gets the aircraft, who gets the remaining Hotshots," he explained.

Although Southern California is not experiencing the onslaught of lightning storms that regions up north are, the area is still dry and volatile.

Initial attack resources are in place, Ferris said.

Most of Southern California's wildland fires are human-caused and the region has the biggest values at risk because of population density, he continued.

What's unusual this year, according to Ferris, is how early the Southern California fire season started with severe fires.

In the San Gorgonio Pass, fire commanders warned crew supervisors on the Summit Fire the heat, low humidity and winds were creating fire behavior in early May that normally doesn't arrive until October.

Since then, Pass area residents have witnessed the massive Hathaway Fire, the Mountain Fire and the Silver Fire, and seen smoke billowing off the Falls Fire near Lake Elsinore.

"The Mountain Fire was very interesting," Ferris said.

The fast-moving July wildfire that forced the temporary evacuation of thousands of residents in the Idyllwild and Fern Valley areas and burned more than 27,000 acres was sparked by faulty electrical equipment. But extremely dry conditions usually experienced in the fall helped fuel the blaze.

Similar fire behavior was evident during the Silver Fire, which started Aug. 7 near Poppet Flats, scorched more than 30 square miles, destroyed 48 structures including 26 homes, burned one civilian severely and resulted in a dozen firefighter injuries.

Ferris said Southern California should be prepared for more and residents should take care to create defensible space around their homes and property.

"I have a feeling you have more fires to contend with," he said.

Reported by Patch editors Toni McAllister and Guy McCarthy