As you might imagine, wildfire numbers are higher than a year ago in California. For CalFire’s coverage area, there have been four-thousand-732 fires through September 9th, burning over 616-thousand acres. A year ago, they battled four-thousand-621 fires, scorching over 235-thousand acres. Mary Eldridge, with the Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit, says local numbers were not available. She says wetter winters have been a factor…

click to listen to Mary Eldridge

Eldridge says in addition to keeping 30 feet of defensible space, homeowners shouldn’t be negligent about keeping gutters clear of vegetation, such as dead leaves and pine needles…

click to listen to Mary Eldridge

Eldridge says regular tree trimming is also a must, so branches don’t hang on the ground, creating so-called “ladder fuels” that can greatly accelerate a fire. Replacing house vents with ones that have smaller openings is also helpful.