LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With the recent rains and cooler temperatures, Cal Fire’s Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit announced that the 2013 fire season – which saw nearly twice the number of fires as last year – is coming to an official end.

The agency said it will transition out of fire season effective 8 a.m. Monday, Dec. 16.

The onset of cooler, wetter weather allows Cal Fire to reduce staffing through release of seasonal employees, the closure of select facilities and release of local fixed wing aircraft.

However, Cal Fire said it is prepared to increase staffing and provide statewide response if weather or fire activity dictate.

The Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit responsibility area includes six counties: Sonoma, Lake, Napa, Yolo, Solano and Colusa.

During this fire season, the unit responded to more than 902 wildland fires within those six counties, year to date. Ninety-five percent of the 902 wildland fires were contained to 10 acres or less, due to aggressive initial attack by Cal Fire and local fire agencies.

That's compared to the 536 wildland fires Cal Fire responded to during the peak 2012 fire season, which ended Nov. 5.

The requirement for Cal Fire burn permits also expires with the end of fire season. Property owners interested in conducting control burns should check with their local fire agency and air pollution district to ensure they meet all fire and air pollution permit requirements, prior to burning.

Cal Fire said its mission is to prevent small fires from becoming large.

Residents living in the urban interface can increase the probability of their homes surviving a wildland fire by creating and maintaining a 100 foot of defensible space around their structures. The cooler winter months provide an excellent opportunity to work on defensible space projects.

Cal Fire is a full service fire department and will continue to provide response to local emergencies such as fires, traffic collisions, medical calls, and hazmat incidents through local agreements, as well as statewide or regional emergencies such as floods or earthquakes.