Officials urge homeowners to prepare for fire season


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SALT LAKE CITY — The recent, dramatic pictures of the California fires have alerted Utahns to prepare for the upcoming fire season as well.

The brutal 2012 fire season grabbed attention statewide and brought awareness to fire safety, especially to families living in the foothills where much of the damage occurred. Now, many are wondering how severe the fires will be during this summer.

"For this year, we're expecting at least a normal fire season," said Utah Division of Forestry representative Jason Curry. "But probably slightly above normal, and definitely above normal in the southern part of the state. Their snow pack is lower and conditions are drier."

However, the fire season would have to be extremely bad to top the 2012 fire season which started in late June, according to fire specialists. Herriman, Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain were hit hard with fire. Thousands of homes were evacuated and a handful were lost to fires.

Fire officials are having ongoing conversations about how to prevent fires with people who live in the ever-growing urban rural interface. Officials say a crucial part of neighborhood unity in fire safety is to clear brush and debris away from structures.

"Thirty feet is really a magic number in the fire world," Curry said. "And it's 30 feet of linear space, not just 30 feet that's uphill, downhill. It's straight off the edge of the building."

Homeowners like Tyre Holfeltz have been working to prepare their homes for fire season. Holfeltz was given the job of State Wildland Urban Interface and Prevention Coordinator, and it's a job that he said he loves because he knows what a difference it can make.

"The investment in the communities is absolutely there," Holfeltz said. "As individuals in the fire service, we see so often how just a little bit of work could have made such a big difference in our efforts in protecting homes, or a home surviving a wildfire."

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