A brush fire broke out earlier this month just feet away from a solar power generation facility near Lancaster, California. The fire broke out in a patch of dry grass just next to the facility and burned as much as 65 acres of land near the facility, local news outlets report. These types of fires can be particularly dangerous if they’re not taken care of immediately, and fires that break out within close proximity to major power facilities—even solar power facilities—can pose an even greater risk to damaging critical infrastructure for a long period of time.
The fire that broke out was a second alarm grass fire, which means that it required a more than usual response from local fire departments to clear the area of any flames. Luckily, fire departments were able to get to the fire quickly with 13 fire engines, hand crews, and a helicopter that was deployed to throw flame retardant at the fire from above. The fire was tarnished before it was able to destroy any structures or cause any harm to anyone, but authorities are still investigating what the potential cause could be.
These days, nearly every month is considered fire season with more heat and less moisture in the air even in the winter season. Shorter winter seasons mean dry summer months, and with the heat and the dry air often comes a particularly nasty fire season. It would be wise for everyone in California to exercise increased caution surrounding fire season as to diminish the risk of a wildfire breaking out in their area—even something like throwing a cigarette out of a car window on the freeway can spark an uncontrollable fire under the right conditions.
Luckily there are ways to prevent wildfires from becoming too dangerous or damaging structures in the first place. Organizations like Capstone fire can help business owners, homeowners, and even project managers determine potential risks in their spaces and execute the necessary precautionary strategies to prevent wildfire damage.
In businesses and construction sites this might be something like educating all staff on proper precautions and determining any major risks that are particular to your business or site beforehand, and addressing those concerns with a strategy for diminishing the risk of a fire. In homes, this might mean applying fire retardant to your home’s exterior or making sure that no fire risks are in the immediate vicinity. More than often, you’d be surprised at how many things like overgrown trees near electrical wire or outdated electrical structure put homes at risk.
Capstone Fire was created with fire safety in mind, and our entire business is dedicated to preventing and diminishing wildfire damage often before it begins. Contact us today to see how we can help your work site, business, or home become safer.
