BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — You hear about it every year: June 1st is the deadline to create a defensible space around your property. While it’s hard to forecast when fire season will be like throughout the year, Kern County Fire Captain Andrew Freeborn says this year, up to this point, has been busy for crews around the county.
"This year has seen about a 75% increase of grass fires compared to the same time last year. So by this time last year, we have fought about 150, 158 to be precise," said Freeborn. "We've fought 276 grass fires so far this year."
Freeborn says a wet winter has led to more vegetative growth, which looks great for landscape shots of our county, but once it dries, it can go up in smoke quickly.
"When you drive around the county right now, there's just this carpet. It's thick. It's continuous of this golden brown, dry, dead grass all around the county. And so it's super available for anything to spark it up, whether it's lightning, whether it's something from someone's catalytic converter, or somebody dragging a chain behind their car. There's just so many things that can inadvertently spark a fire."
So what do you need to know before the annual deadline? Freeborn says it's ensuring that items that could potentially contribute to a fire immediately around a home are cleared and keeping up with landscaping so it's not overgrown and contributing to potential fire fuels.
"A defensible space is the obligation that the homeowner has to provide a safe area around their home, and that is for their benefit. It's for the community's benefit. It's for the firefighter's benefit as well," said Freeborn. "You don't want to have wood piles, a bunch of old furniture, and other things stacked up against the house. So what you're trying to make sure is that area right up against the house. Don't have any of these things that are gonna burn."
Freeborn also noted that while the June 1st deadline is important for landowners to create their defensible space, it's also just as important to maintain it throughout the year.
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