The Contra Costa Times ran a story today about the 2008 fire season, which many suspect will be long and burdensome. One of the experts quoted was William Stewart, a UC Cooperative Extension forestry specialist at UC Berkeley. The version of the story which appeared in the San Jose Mercury News, also under John Simermon's byline, says Stewart is a former research head with CalFire.
The story said a 114-year record low in precipitation statewide from March through May has launched what fire experts figure to be an extended summer of blazes and bad air
"Everybody is on full summer operational plans by now," Stewart was quoted in the story. "The challenge is, by the time August comes around, if everybody's been working overtime continuously, people are going to get sick, injured. They're going to be just exhausted. Machinery breaks. You always have a few aircraft accidents. Every once in a while they roll a fire truck. Bulldozers get jammed. Those are going to add up."
The Santa Cruz Sentinel also moved the story, under Genevieve Bookwalter's byline, with the same quote from Stewart. Her story noted that MediaNews contributed to the report.