Extreme fire danger sparked the summer’s second red-flag warning last Wednesday, closing the Dish area and surrounding foothills for the day. Drought conditions and scorching heat in the area have started the fire season remarkably early this year, leaving city and University officials sweating.

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Masaru Oka

FUEL FOR THE FIRE: Hikers of the Dish pass by a barrier of mostly grass-free soil meant to provide the spread of a fire. After last year’s fires, the Dish is once again in danger with mulitple red-flag warnings due to the scorching heat and dry brush.

“In my 35 years in the fire service, I can’t recall the fire conditions being this severe this early in the season,” said Palo Alto Fire Chief Nick Marinaro.

In a given year, the Dish area gets about five red flags, but this year’s two warnings before August have put the hills on pace to soon surpass that benchmark. The National Weather Bureau administers the red flag based on temperature, wind speed, fuel moisture, relative humidity and burn index — a qualitative measure of burn severity.

According to Marinaro, Palo Alto is seeing September and October conditions in May and June, one reason being the lack of spring rain that normally keeps the live grass, or “fuel” as many refer to it, wetter for longer.

The Stanford Department of Public Safety has responded to the danger by limiting the fire potential of grass in the hills surrounding the Dish.

“We have the foothills manned during daylight hours,” Dish Ranger Doug Williams said. “[The staff] is busy mowing, dicing and grazing to reduce fuel.”

Officials are hoping to avoid a situation similar to that of last year’s blaze, in which a fire started by two juveniles destroyed almost 200 acres in the Stanford foothills. Although Santa Clara County — which holds jurisdiction over fires on Stanford property — contained the fire, large sections of the hills were charred and smoke descended onto campus.

Marinaro said there are several online resources for concerned students and local residents to learn more about fire threats. The National Weather Service Web site supplies fire-threat updates and the Palo Alto Fire Department site boasts a live webcam that continually scans the foothills from Fire Station 8.

For now, the foothills remain free of fire and the Dish trail is again open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. But while the fires that have raged throughout much of northern California have yet to converge on the San Francisco Peninsula, the summer will only get hotter, and Palo Alto’s fire chief remains unsure about what August and September will bring.

“We’re keeping our fingers crossed,” Marinaro said.