SPRING VALLEY, LAKE COUNTY 

Fueled by high temperatures, dry grasslands and gusting winds, a series of wildfires continued to burn across Northern California counties Monday as firefighters braced for what may be another brutal fire year for California.

Following the devastating firestorms that killed 44 people last fall and caused roughly $10 billion in damages, Cal Fire is warning that the number of fires and acreage burned so far this year is higher than the same six-month period last year, and far above the five-year average.

In the last week alone, Cal Fire has responded to 256 blazes, 90 of them just on Saturday and Sunday, Cal Fire spokesman Scott McClean said.

"You're looking at roughly 200 more responses year to date, and already 3,000 more acres than last year (through Sunday)," McLean said. "We're way ahead of last year."

The sudden uptick in blazes simply may be the result of a combination of factors: the first weekend of summer brought more people outside, which always adds to the chances of wildfires starting, and triple-digit temperatures and winds add to the peril.

The largest of the weekend blazes was the Pawnee Fire in Lake County that erupted Saturday afternoon and was expected to grow to at least 10,000 acres by late Monday.

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