Concerned over the rising toll of wildfires, officials from federal, state and local agencies gathered Tuesday to search for long-term ways to prevent blazes.
More than 200 representatives from public agencies, private groups, utilities and insurance firms kicked off a three-day "fire summit" to consider steps ranging from more controlled burns to setting up local fire safety councils.
Devising new tactics means bridging bureaucratic divides. Fire officials, for example, hope to persuade air quality agencies of the need for more controlled burns, which cause smoke and pollution.
The effort follows one of the driest springs on record and comes amid predictions of a particularly severe fire season. The state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has recorded 2,550 fires so far this year--more than a third higher than average.
