If you were to guess how many vegetation fires have started in Nevada County since January 1st 2022, what would the number be? 10, 20, 50, 100? As a hint, CAL FIRE lists 115 wildfires for all of 2020 in Nevada County.
Hard to fathom, but as of today 119 vegetation fires have been mapped and responded to by firefighters, according to a GIS layer published by CalOES. Explore our map below and see how your neighborhood fares so far.
While the overwhelming majority don’t grow past one acre, the sheer number of incidents is a cause for concern. Now would be a great time for all of us to:
- Make sure Go bags are ready
- Check the family evacuation plan
- Know your Zone
- Have a roadworthy and safe vehicle – or reliable transportation alternatives
- Be aware of all possible routes in case of an evacuation
- Keep an eye on the weather (hint: a stronger heatwave is on the horizon)
The time to use equipment that can create sparks has passed. If you need to trim some branches, use clippers, not a chainsaw. It’s an equally bad idea to use your lawnmower during lunch break, do it early in the morning – without the risk of heat exhaustion. Welding or parking in dry grass, dragging chains, tossing cigarettes out the car window, using blowtorches to get rid of weeds – we all know better.
Please protect yourself, the community and our first responders.
PS: In case you are wondering about all of California, here is the link to the statewide map.
Additional resources:
Ready Nevada County
Fire Safe Council of Nevada County
CAL FIRE
USFS Tahoe National Forest
Start arresting people and charging them with a crime that includes jail time and fines.
Lots of fires-now tell how the all were started, please.
Each of those fires (the red dots) is clickable. The cause, if determined, is listed.
Suspicious that most if not all of the fires started directly adjacent to a road. Why are there no fires away from roads?
Not suspicious. This is the location given when firefighters are dispatched, so it’s normal to have a street and the nearest cross street. Once the fires start higher up, it’ll be coordinates, not addresses.
I want to know why i spend tons of time and money to clear my dead vegetation and yet i am surrounded by negligent neighbors???
The county needs to get tough on vegetation control.
Absolutely they do, but will they?
When I click on one of the spots, I don’t get added information.
Depending on your device, you have to allow pop-ups.
Yes severe fines, public service and jail time for arsonists.