VIDEO: Firefighters are bracing for fire season this year after months of rain caused lots of tall grass to grow across the area.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said there's been an uptick in fires started by the unhoused already. Firefighters are already transitioning into fire season, and a major part of that includes preparing for the unpredictable fires caused by the unhoused. "Looking year over year, our arson investigations unit has seen a 111% increase in homeless or unsheltered-related incidents. Those are directly related to human-caused fires, so whether they're people cooking in those fields or trying to keep themselves warm in the evening," said Capt. Parker Wilbourn with the fire district.
Wilbourn said it only takes a very small spark to start a very large fire, especially with all the debris and trash that accumulates in encampments.