• Fall is here, but that doesn’t mean the danger of wildfire is gone. Major fires, including the 2015 Valley Fire, have started in the Fall. So let’s stay vigilant!
• Take advantage of National Preparedness Month with this community toolkit.
• The Soberanes Fire is the most expensive fire ever in America. It is now 73% contained.

• USFS has a helpful news release with important Labor Day weekend safety tips. With so many damaged or dying trees, make sure not to walk or set up camp near a tree that could fall. And take a look at the release to see which campsites are allowing campfires right now. Click here to view the PDF.
• Here’s a great article from NPR that echoes something we at Firewise® have been saying for a long time: watch out for embers! “It’s the embers after the main front that start the house fires.”
• Any Firewise® communities interested in what the renewal application process is like, take a look at this short video from NFPA which helps explain what is involved.

• FIRE UPDATE: Cedar Fire in Kern County is now 20% contained.
• Check out Sierra Star’s interview with Firewise® Madera County Coordinator Roger Maybee about the importance of defensible space around your home.  Read the interview for information on what homeowners can do to protect their homes and help out firefighters, as we face another 8 – 10 weeks of fire season.
• The cause of the Broken Fire in Coarsegold on July 4 was a bulldozer hitting a rock on dry grass. Sierra News Online provides an important reminder that 90% of all fires in California are caused by people.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

• FIRE UPDATES:
  • Soberanes Fire expected to be contained by Sep. 30. The cause of the fire was an illegal, unattended campfire.
  • Fresno County’s Mineral Fire 100% contained!
  • Blue Cut Fire is still causing a lot of devastation in Southern California.
• Along with the updated Firewise® toolkit, which we talked about previously and highly recommend, make sure to check out Ready.gov’s National Preparedness Month toolkit for September. This toolkit helps you spread awareness by providing “key marketing and preparedness messaging you can print or share on your social media channels to spread the word to colleagues, family and friends throughout the month of September and beyond!”
• Another great Virtual Firewise® Workshop: Get to Know the Home Ignition Zone.

• FIRE UPDATES:
  • Soberanes Fire 55% contained.
  • Mineral fire 35% contained, and a section of Highway 198 has been reopened.
• Last year’s destructive Valley Fire caused by faulty hot tub wiring. Properly installing and maintaining appliances and wiring is an important part of being firewise.
• California Fire Safe Council awarding $2.1 million in grants to 20 projects aimed at reducing wildfire danger in at-risk communities in California.

Another hot week in the middle of fire season. As always, have a safe, fun weekend.