By Doyle Rice and Emily Bazar
USA Today
BOISE, Idaho — Wildfire experts are predicting a fierce summer fire season, particularly in drought-stricken areas of the South and West.
At highest risk are parts of Florida, Texas, California and Washington, says the National Interagency Fire Center, which released its annual forecast Thursday.
“We are preparing for what could be a very busy fire season,” says Rick Ochoa, the center’s fire weather program manager.
The season is off to a scorching start. Nearly 32,000 wildfires have been reported since Jan. 1, charring 1.1 million acres. The average for that period is about 28,000 fires burning 822,000 acres.
Drought is one of the best predictors of wildfires. The U.S. Drought Monitor, made up of several federal agencies, said Thursday that the worst drought conditions are in three of the four most populous states: Texas, Florida and California, where nearly 80 million people live.
“We have a very extreme drought in the central and southern part of Florida,” says Ronda Sutphen, fire prevention coordinator for the state Division of Forestry. “As the vegetation dries out, it is just like pouring gas on a fire.”
There have been 1,847 fires on state and private land in Florida this year, torching 51,910 acres, she says.
In the same period last year, 978 fires blackened 17,661 acres.
Dry weather has also parched parts of the Southwest, leading to a fiery spring in parts of New Mexico and Arizona, Ochoa says.
Central Texas experienced one of the driest winters on record, says Tom Spencer, the state’s fire risk assessment coordinator.
Fires have burned at least 476,000 acres throughout the state since Jan. 22, and led to three deaths, according to the Texas Forest Service.
The agency is requesting an additional $7 million from the state Legislature to hire firefighters and buy equipment.
In California, Ochoa anticipates above-normal fire potential across most of the north and portions of the central coast and south.
“This is the third year of significant drought in California, which is certainly taking its toll,” he says.
Copyright 2009 Gannett Company, Inc.
All Rights Reserved