Published Tuesday, November 30, 1999

Dave Nielsen/Appeal-Democrat

Eric Skaggs

of Yuba City rakes leaves in front of the Sutter County Administration

Building on Monday, with surrounding trees displaying reds, oranges

and yellows of an autumn day.

Week's forecast: cool and rainy

Lori Roniger

Appeal-DemocratWhile late November has brought with it holiday festivities, it's also brought cooler temperatures and an increased risk of fires from fireplaces, wood-burning stoves, holiday lights and candles.

That cooler weather is expected to accompanied by showers today, with winds between 10 and 20 mph and temperatures peaking in the low- to mid-50 degrees, said Karl Swanberg, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. Rain is expected to continue through this evening, with temperatures dropping to the mid-40s, followed by showers Wednesday morning and partial clearing of skies later in the day, he said.

But the respite will be brief, with another storm expected to bring rain to the area on Thursday, Swanberg said. The weather service is forecasting low temperatures in the low 40s and high temperatures in the mid 50s through Thursday.

He said the storms are nothing unusual, describing today's predicted weather as "a middle-of-the-road type storm system."

Overall, he said this week's anticipated weather is "pretty normal."

"It's just a tad cooler than normal," he said.

While partly cloudy and warmer weather, with high temperatures near 60, are predicted for Friday and Saturday, Swanberg said the calmer weather would bring "some patchy fog."

He said fog tends not to be a problem when a storm is in the area.

"Storm systems tend to mix up the atmosphere," he said.

Swanberg said the storms would likely dump snow on elevations above the 3,000 foot level.

However, up in the foothills, LaPorte resident Carla Gray, said this has been a relatively light season for snow so far. She's seen only 6 inches of snow this fall.

"Sometimes at this time of the year we've had 5 feet of snow." she said. "It's been a funny year. We should have more snow."

Gray measured a high temperature of 43 on Monday and a low reading of 35 degrees overnight Sunday.

Now that chillier weather has moved into the area and is not expected to ease soon, local fire safety experts are cautioning residents to be careful to avoid the potential hazards of heating devices and decorations.

Fireplaces and wood-burning stoves have caused "probably at least half a dozen fires in Yuba City in November," said Jim Mathews, chief fire safety inspector for the City of Yuba City.

On Thanksgiving Day, heat from the metal flue of a wood-burning stove in a Sutter County home led materials in the roof to ignite and a fire to spread across the attic and through a bedroom ceiling. Mathews said there have been several chimney fires locally this season, although they did not cause major fires.

"It's a sign people didn't clean them," he said.

"December, January and February are the leading months for home fire and home fire deaths," Mathews said, referring to national statistics. "More than one third of deaths (due to home fires) occur during these months. The biggest causes are misuse of portable heaters, fireplaces and wood stoves."

For heaters, he instructed, "Follow the directions. Keep combustibles away from them. Don't leave them on all night."

And he advised that kerosene heaters never be used inside of a house.

Holiday season also brings an increased use of candles, he noted, and they can be hazardous.

"Don't leave a candle unattended," Mathews said. "Always make sure they are out before you go to bed."

When using electric lights for holiday decorations both inside and outside of the house, Mathews said people should "unplug them before you go to bed" and be careful not to overload circuits.

"You can't go wrong if you follow the directions," he said.

He urged people to buy lights that are UL, or Underwriters Laboratory, approved.

Fireplaces can take additional care to ensure safe use, which can include refraining from burning holiday remnants.

"Definitely do not burn things like Christmas wrapping paper or Christmas trees or trimmings," Mathews said. "That's not a good thing. That starts a lot of fires... Sometimes people get caught up in the season and forget."

But before lighting that first fire of the cold weather season, local fire officials said the chimney must be checked and swept, if needed.

Fires can be caused by the build-up in chimneys of creosote, "the byproducts of the burning of wood that build up in a chimney," said Marysville Fire Capt. Joe Waggershauser.

Other fire prevention tips include ensuring that the chimney damper, or flue valve, is open, he said, "or else the house will fill with smoke."

After the fire, ashes should be stored in a metal container for several days, Mathews advised.

"A lot of fires start" when people put ashes in outside trash cans, thinking it is safe, he said.

Combustibles, such as paper or anything else that can catch fire, should be kept away from the fireplace, trees limbs over the chimney removed, and a spark arrester to keep burning material from escaping through the chimney should be in place, Waggershauser said.

While he thought the cold weather has been late in showing up this year, he said, "We're just starting to see smoke come out of the chimneys."

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