San Diego (KGTV)- With the weather heating up that also means the risk of fires in San Diego county is greater.
On Friday morning, dozens of firefighters could be spotted along Mast Blvd. and SR-52. Crews were conducting a drill to get ready in case of a wildfire.
“The idea is to get everybody on the same page so that we can get the little hiccups and the problems out early,” says Kelly Zombro, Deputy Fire Chief with San Diego Fire-Rescue.
Friday was day three of the Metro Zone Drill. It included managing evacuations, air resources, and communication plans with numerous agencies.
“There’s too many examples where you have one fire but have four different ways of doing things on the incident because nobody is talking on the same frequencies, nobody is taking command together. This mitigates a lot of that,” says Zombro.
As the annual drill was underway, Cal Fire crews responded to a fire in El Cajon, on Lotus Lane. Crews were able to stop the five-acre fire from spreading but Cal Fire says San Diegans should be prepared in case a fire breaks near their home.
“The weather is expected to get a little warmer, tomorrow being the hottest day, but we are considered year-round fire season here in San Diego,” says Captain Neil Czapinski. “Residents need to know that this can happen at any time.”
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, San Diego County is experiencing moderate to severe conditions. Local fire crews say there is not one specific area that is more susceptible to fires.
“The bigger places where you’re more susceptible will be the places where you got open space and you haven’t treated around the homes and businesses there,” says Zombro.
San Diego Fire-Rescue and Cal Fire say the biggest tip for San Diegans is to have a plan in case a fire breaks near their home or property.
