Cal-Fire seasonal firefighters have been reporting for duty as they mobilize for the upcoming fire season. Hopefully county residents are more prepared than in years past due to a strong focus on defensible space inspections. Last year 7 Battalions in the Shasta-Trinity Unit of Cal-Fire made 3,564 inspections to be sure the area around homes had been cleared of weeds, dry shrubbery and other combustible materials. Crews have also been working on clearing strips of vegetation to serve as stopping points for potential fires, including the recently completed Canyon Road Fuel Break done in the Happy Valley area in cooperation with the Western Shasta Resource Conservation District. That project involved nine crews, nine engines and around 140 personnel, who burned 1,500 piles and treated 70 acres.
-Steve Gibson