LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Extreme heat and red flag warnings issued by the National Weather Service for this week resulted in Cal Fire officials urging the public to avoid any activities that could ignite a wildfire.

Cal Fire said elevated fire weather conditions will be present from the combination of extreme heat, low humidity levels and gusty winds on top of an abundant and cured grass crop throughout much of California.

Such conditions are a recipe that can lead to significant fire potential risk, Cal Fire said.

“If a fire were to start in these conditions, it has the potential to spread rapidly and exhibit extreme fire behavior,” said Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Deputy Chief Matt Ryan. “We want to remind residents and visitors to take fire safety precautions this week and to make sure you are preparing yourself in the event a wildfire should start near you. Now is the time to have your evacuation plan in place, pack your go back and sign up for emergency alert notifications through the county you live in or will be visiting.”

It has already been one of the busiest starts to a fire year in the CAL FIRE Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit, with over 20,000 acres burned this year. That is more acres burned than the unit saw over the entire three previous years combined.

Consecutive years of above average rain seasons have contributed to an abundance of tall grass throughout the North Bay area and most of California. Since Father’s Day, Cal Fire said it has seen rapid rates of spread and large fire growth, the results of having a substantial herbaceous fuel load — meaning, grasses and forbs — and moderate winds.

Overnight Sunday and into Monday, winds were expected to begin picking up across Northern California.

Cal Fire said the westerly “Konocti winds” that develop in the afternoons across Lake County, and northerly winds moving up from the Delta, are expected to bring gusts in the Bay Area, interior Mountain Ranges and Sacramento Valley.

The excessive heat warning from the National Weather Service is calling for major to extreme heat risk Tuesday through Saturday. Extended heat waves are what the area has experienced during previous extreme fire seasons.

With the July 4 holiday occurring during this forecast period, Cal Fire reminds North Bay residents that all fireworks are banned in the State Responsibility Areas of Colusa, Lake, Napa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo counties. That includes “safe and sane” fireworks.

In California, there is zero tolerance for the use and sale of illegal fireworks. It is your responsibility to check with your local ordinance regarding the use of fireworks.

In Lake County, the only place that safe and sane fireworks may be used legally is in Lakeport for a brief period around the July 4 holiday.

For information on how to plan and prepare to keep you and your family safe from wildfires, visit
https://readyforwildfire.org/.