Cal Fire to hold meetings for mountain residents as fire season approaches

With fire season upon us, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has set multiple meetings in place for April and May that will address evacuation plans and the concerns of Sierra Nevada residents.

The recent drought has left the mountain areas full of dead trees that add to the risk of fire season. Firefighters want to prepare residents by educating them on the dangers and how they can obtain current information during an emergency, said Fresno County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Tony Botti.

Cal Fire will hold a meeting at the Shaver Lake Community Center on April 22 from 10 a.m.-noon. On May 6, they will hold another meeting at Foothill Elementary School from 10 a.m.-noon. A final meeting will be held at Dunlap Elementary School May 11 from 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.

In February, 61,112 acres of Madera County forests had been affected by drought and the bark beetle, with 76,878 acres damaged in Mariposa County and 80,451 in Fresno County, said Cal Fire pre-fire engineer Frank Bigelow Jr.

This story was originally published April 4, 2017 at 11:20 PM with the headline "Cal Fire to hold meetings for mountain residents as fire season approaches."