Cal Fire Chief: Expect a Fiery Summer Play

California is entering summer with fire danger already running higher than usual. The chief of Cal Fire predicts, as a certainty, that we will have an increased level of activity this year.

Big storms soaked the state in late December, early January and mid-February. But they were followed by a record dry and hot March.

"The grass is cured in the Central Valley and Southern California, and that fine fuel is ready for ignition by sparks and embers," says Cal Fire chief Joe Tyler.

Statewide, 32,054 acres have burned since Jan. 1 on lands overseen by Cal Fire and the U.S. Forest Service. That's roughly 50% higher than the average over the past five years.