By William Rodarmor

When it comes to fire in the East Bay, September is the cruelest month -- or is it October? We all remember October 20, 1991, when the biggest fire in recorded California history burned more than 3,000 homes and apartments and killed 25 people in the Berkeley-Oakland Hills. But it’s also worth recalling Berkeley’s devastating 1923 fire, which broke out in the fall as well.

The blaze started in Wildcat Canyon around noon on September 17, and burned 60 blocks of houses in North Berkeley, some within minutes, destroying 584 structures. (San Francisco sent a fireboat across the Bay to assist. Oakland was unable to help much: it was fighting 13 fires of its own that day.)

For California, 2003 has already been a pretty hot year. The Department of Forestry reports that by mid-July, 3,914 wildfires had burned 37,534 acres across the state. This is much higher than the five-year average of about 3,700 fires and 25,000 acres burned.

Wildland fire season in Alameda County officially started on June 2, and by now, heat and the long dry season have turned our area into a tinderbox. Luckily, there is a lot we can do to keep it from bursting into flames.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) suggests several important steps you can take to make your home more fire safe. The first ones involve major construction, but you can do some of the others as early as tomorrow morning

Use fire-resistant materials for your roof and siding: Roofs are especially vulnerable in a wildfire. Embers and flaming debris can travel great distances, land on your roof, and start a new fire within minutes. Instead of flammable materials like wood, shake, and wood shingles, use fiberglass shingles, slate, metal, and clay and concrete tiles. Fire-resistant materials for siding include stucco, metal, brick, cement shingles, concrete, and rock. (You can treat wood siding with UL-approved fire retardant chemicals, but the treatment and protection aren't permanent.)

Thin the vegetation around your house: All vegetation is fuel for a wildfire, and some trees and shrubs are more flammable than others. The greater the distance between your home and the vegetation, the more protection you have. Even this late in the season, you can make your home much safer if you minimize the vegetation in a 30' safety zone around your house. Fire spreads rapidly uphill. If you live on a hill, extend the zone on the downhill side. The steeper the slope, the more open space you'll need to protect your home. (See sidebar for specific trim tips.)

If you see a fire, call 911 and report it immediately. Help the fire department get to the blazes while they're still small.

If you are warned that a wildfire is threatening your area, follow the instructions of local officials. For reports and evacuation information, listen to these radio stations: KCBS (740 AM), KGO (810 AM), and Berkeley's WNZV (1610 AM).

Back your car into the garage or park it in an open space facing the direction of escape. Close car doors and windows. Leave the key in the ignition. Close garage windows and doors, and leave them unlocked. Disconnect your automatic garage door opener so the door can be quickly opened by hand.

Remember, your personal safety always come first.

To better fight wildfires, local agencies in Berkeley, Moraga-Orinda, Oakland, Contra Costa County, and the East Bay Regional Parks have signed mutual assistance pacts to automatically respond to specific geographic areas in the event of a reported fire.

For general information about fire prevention in your area, contact these agencies.

Alameda County: 510-618-3490; co.alameda.ca.us/fire/index.htm

Contra Costa County: 925-930-5500

Albany: 510-528-5771; www.albanyca.org/dept/fire.html

Berkeley: 510-981-5585; www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/fire/prevent

El Cerrito: 510-215-4450;
www.el-cerrito.com/fire/prevention_tips_residential.html

Kensington: 510-527-8395; www.kensingtonfire.org/

Oakland: 510-238-3851;
www.oaklandnet.com/oakweb/revised/indexrev.html

Piedmont: 510-420-3030; www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/welcome.htm

Richmond: 510-307-8037; www.ci.richmond.ca.us

To apply fire safety in your area, join a local fire awareness or prevention organization such as the Claremont Canyon Conservancy (www.claremontcanyonconservancy.org) or the North Hills Phoenix Association (www.nhphoenix.org).

Given the rise in interest rates this fall, what lies ahead for home buyers for the rest of 2003 and for next year? With the caveat that it’s very hard to make market predictions, two Albany mortgage brokers agreed to share their views.

Paul Riccardi, MPR Financial: “Rates have moved up a good deal, but they’re still incredibly good, historically. If you’re buying a home, you’ll still be okay. You may not get 40-year lows, but you’ll get 25- or 30-year lows, which is very competitive. People who are currently buying homes aren’t necessarily discouraged by the rise in interest rates. I haven’t seen anybody say, ‘Oh my god, I’m not able to afford the house.’”

Kathy Mitchell, KLA Mortgage: “I’ve been doing this for 19 years, and the rates are still phenomenally low. The fact that the rates are going up a bit is encouraging people to get out there and buy. These are people who have been straddling the fence, hoping rates will come down again. My wild prediction for the next year? I think rates will stay about where they are now, with little blips up or down. For 30-year conforming loans, I imagine they are going to stay around 6.25 percent, and around 6.50 to 6.75 percent for jumbos.”

William Rodarmor is a freelance writer, editor, and French translator in Berkeley, California.