Fire safety iseveryone's responsibility

Afire that raged through Centerville last week was a reminder that the days when we could count on an end to fire season are long gone.

It's been a little wetter, but it doesn't take much of a storm front to turn on nature's hair dryer to the point where brush dormant for the winter turns tinder dry.

Last week it was a burn pile, that after smoldering deep in its heart, burst into flames in the middle of the night and sent a line of fire marching across several fields.

That no one suffered serious injury is a miracle. Good neighbors got the word out and great fire services managed to bring the blaze to heel in the nick of time.

Last winter's moisture was so low we were getting wildfires in February that were destroying houses and there is no way of knowing whether this winter will be better.

But we can do more than pray for rain or snow.

We can be prepared.

Cutting a defensible space, being careful with fire, clearing away dead brush from property are ways we can keep ourselves and our neighbors safe from fire.

This winter let's prepare for the worst and hope for the best. No one else is going to do it for us.