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Bay Area Firefighters Concerned As Wildfire Season Begins

SOLANO COUNTY (KCBS) – Fire season is officially underway in the Bay Area and some firefighters are already concerned about the early and high growth of dry grass and brush in the hills.

CAL FIRE Battalion Chief Jim Crawford said the moisture in the fuels is still high, but a string of warm to hot days could change that. Three years of drought followed by recent heavy rains have produced some tall weeds.

"The grass is high enough to lay over and mat down and as grass starts to mat down, it becomes more difficult to try to extinguish the fire that's underlying that matted grass," said Crawford.

KCBS' Dave Padilla Reports:

Katherine Holmes works on weed management strategies for Solano County and said she has noticed a difference in growth this year.

"We've had two years of wet springs and so there's been a lot of growth," she said.

CAL FIRE spokesman Daniel Berlant is urging residents to remove tall grass and brush before the peak of the fire season hits the Bay Area.

He said CAL FIRE has a website for homeowners who can get the best advice on protecting their properties from wildfire: www.readyforwildfire.org.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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