Heed warning of California wildfires

The smoke from 72,000 acres of wildfires in California is the most obvious reminder of our responsibility during this time of year.

Though the black of the charred hillsides northeast of town is starting to gray in the sun, and the scars of the Waterfall fire are less and less apparent, the threat remains.

Hot temperatures, ever-present afternoon winds, baked cheatgrass and dry lightning are the perfect recipe for disaster.

Fire officials say fuel and burning conditions are extreme.

During the Spooner fire on June 30, Carson City Fire Chief Stacey Giomi said, "You can almost look at this cheat grass sideways and it catches on fire."

Before the next round can begin in our neighborhood, we urge residents to protect their homes from fire now, rather than when the flames flare.

When a wildfire is raging, it may be too late to clear debris from the yard, and you may be too frazzled to collect all the necessary items you'll need to evacuate.

These periods of calm safety are the best time to prepare. Create a defensible space around your home. Collect your important papers. Decide what personal items you'd want to take in case of an emergency, and have an evacuation plan that your whole family knows about.

Firefighters give it their all to protect life and property, and their jobs become not only more difficult, but more dangerous, when residents don't use some common sense.

More than 80,000 acres of Northern Nevada have burned in the last 30 days, most of it near Elko where on Thursday two more human-caused fires were started.

Eventually the investigation will show what happened to start those fires. We can't fathom what the folks who started those fires were thinking, but we join fire officials in asking the public to be extremely cautious with fire and outdoor activities, and urge you to be prepared in case another blaze is sparked.