Fire Season — What Can Residents Expect?

CalFire is taking the cautious road when asked what the 2011 peak fire season might bring.

"Fire season's very difficult to predict," Ray Chaney, battalion chief at Ramona Air Attack Base told Patch this week.

Spokesman Mike Mohler told Patch a couple of weeks ago, "We don't make predictions, but so far from the graphs, it looks like a normal season."

The heavy winter rain, lush growth and the weather could all play a role in this peak fire season, Chaney said, after returning from flying over the near the Imperial county border this week.

"We look at certain indicators," he said. "The brush is very moist," he said. "We've had record rain, which is a good thing but there's a down side to that too. It gives us a record grass crop."