The sad news today about the deadly crash of two firefighting helicopters in Riverside County is news we don’t want to wake up to.
But the incident Sunday night also serves as a tragic reminder that California’s wildfire season, which has become a year-round season, but which usually peaks here in late summer to late fall, is here.
Cal Fire has warned us that with all the vegetation that sprung up and grew from all the rain we had last winter would dry out by July and could raise the risk of wildfires.
The fire in the Joshua Tree national park area that started last month has been a huge one and there could be more large fires this year. But as the fatal crash of the two helicopters showed us it doesn’t have to be a large fire to be dangerous for firefighters.
Last night’s fire in Riverside County was first reported as only a three-acre fire. And we’ve had a lot of those smaller size fires in San Diego County already this summer. But over the years of battling large wildfires, firefighters now throw everything at the small fires so they don’t become big fires.
The firefighters who died last night in the crash of two helicopters are the first victims of California’s 2023 wildfire season. We all hope that there will not be more.
But these brave men and women who are our firefighters go out there every time the alarm rings, knowing the risks they face. And we know that without them and what they do, there would be larger fires, more damage and more injuries and deaths.
We need to thank them and pray for them as they protect us.
(Photo Getty Images)
Photo: Getty Images