As high heat and Santa Ana winds whip through the county, a federal agency is already taking action against possible fires.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has transferred two firefighting helicopters from Northern California to the Viejas Indian Reservation in East County.
Officials want extra resources close at hand in case a major wildfire breaks out anywhere in Southern California.
The helicopters are able to drop buckets of water on fire lines or transport crews. The BIA says they will be staffed ten hours every day by tribal firefighters, coming from reservations across the country.
If a wildfire starts, those crews will be ready to drop in anywhere they are needed.
The helicopters will stay at Viejas until Oct. 10, with a potential extension of up to 15 days if fire conditions continue.
The county is currently under a heat advisory, expected to expire Saturday evening. But the triple digit temperatures coupled with dry winds make the perfect recipe for October fires, as seen in years past.
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Both the 2007 and 2003 firestorms – including the state’s largest recorded blaze, the Cedar Fire – took place in October.
To prevent another destructive wildfire, Cal Fire, which partners with the BIA, has also staffed its stations with extra crews and an air tanker also on loan from Northern California. Officials say they will have 24-hour-a-day crews on five water tenders and bulldozers.
