Rising temperatures mean fire danger across the Bay Area

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KTVU) - Monday’s second day of near record temperatures is sounding the alarm about the dangers of fire season; even though it’s barely spring.

The dangers are all around a property in Morgan Hill, where tree limbs can be seen hanging over the roof and shrubs look drier by the day, within steps of the property’s front door.

"As soon as it's basically become dry enough that anything out in the area has a lower humidity, we start seeing opportunity for fire to occur,” said Jim Crawford, a Cal-Fire Division Chief.

There have already been house fires that have touched off grass fires and grass fires that have burned acres, according to Crawford.

As a result, the agency is starting defensible space inspections in Stanislaus County and eventually four others in Northern California.

"Preventatively, people can start taking down dead shrubbery and especially people with larger yards can start taking care of their lawn and getting prepared for that; it makes sense,” said Michelle Pederson a San Jose resident.

Cal Fire officials say they're starting in the eastern counties and will make their way west to Santa Clara over the next two weeks. They hope by the time they get here, most rural properties look cleared of any brush.

"The weeds that are around your property that, as they die, will become very receptive to fire. So remove them early while the weather is still more temperate than it is super dry,” Crawford said.

Officials also say homeowners must trim branches six feet or higher that overhang from your home, landscape with fire and drought-resistant plants that need little water and keep brush grass and brush less than six-inches high.

In all, the defensible space should extend 100-feet from the property, to help insure a grass fire doesn't grow into a destroyer of homes.