Current Conditions

Media Advisory

Redding, CA, June 24, 2008 — Due to the recent lightning event that has started 100's of wildfires across northern California, the U.S. Forest Service and CAL FIRE have opened a "Joint Information Center (JIC)" to provide fire information updates to the media.

The JIC will be staffed with Public Information Officers from the interagency wildland fire agencies. They will be available to update the media and provide a big picture summary of the current fire situation in northern California.

The JIC will not replace the local fire public information centers where concerned citizens should call to obtain specific fire information details and updates. Attached is a list of those centers where the general public can call with questions about local fire conditions.

The Joint Information Center has been setup at the Northern California Geographic Coordination Center, 6101 Airport Road, in Redding, CA. Hours of operations will be 24 hours, seven days a week until conditions change.

Related Information

• InciWeb is an information management system developed to provide the public with a single source of information related to wildland fire information. The Pacific Southwest Region is participating in InciWeb to efficiently present information on wildfires and other incidents.
• California Traffic Information: Planning a Trip?
• California State Information from the Interactive Weather Information Network
• Tide Predictions: Mare Island, CA
• Maps of Recent Earthquake Activity in California-Nevada

Ready. gov: Find out what the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is doing to keep America safe.

Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI)

The WUI, where houses meet or intermingle with wildland vegetation, is a focal area for human-environment conflicts, such as wildland fires, habitat fragmentation, invasive species and biodiversity decline. Scientific maps based on collaborative research are now online depicting the communities and lands within the WUI across the lower 48 states.

California leads the nation with more than five million homes within the WUI.

• California Wildland-Urban Interface maps, statistics, and GIS data downloads