Bay Area officials urge residents to prepare for wildfire season

CONCORD, Calif. (KGO) -- The fire season is just in its early stages, but with the first real heat and some high winds, concerns are already at high levels. There were three significant fires in the Bay Area Tuesday. Fire officials are asking the public to make sure they do their part, to prevent catastrophes like we saw in the North Bay last fall.

"June 17 is actually the compliance deadline in Central Contra Costa County," said Fire Marshal Robert Marshall, "particularly during high wind events, that's really when it becomes hyper-critical that people have done everything correctly, because what that does is it allows us to have the best chance to stop the fire."

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Marshall credits some early preparation, like weed abatement by nearby residents with helping his crews quickly get the upper hand on a fire in Lafayette Tuesday afternoon, although it did destroy one structure, described as a tiny home.

Later, a grass fire prompted evacuations in a Pinole neighborhood.

"We work from sun up to sun down," said Ken Tamplen, with Ken's Rototilling and Weed Abatement. "There was a really heavy growth of weeds this year, the weeds are big talls, thick and dense, so it's important to get your property taken care of."

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