California fire season started on full blast with fires erupting in Ventura, Sonoma and Riverside counties earlier this week, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection incident reports. In anticipation of a strong fire season, University City residents are working to keep a watchful eye on local canyons. Like a Neighborhood Watch for fires, Rose Canyon rim residents need look out for fires that may start in the canyon and call 911 before they burn out of control. That’s the message San Diego city officials and University City community leaders are sending to residents this fire season while starting the University City Community Canyon Fire Watch Program. University City Community Association President and program co-chair Andy Freeburn said he hopes to sign up community volunteers to watch for smoke or potential fire hazards around the canyon in two-hour shifts between 2 and 10 p.m. daily. Residents should look for smoke, children playing with fire or bonfires, according to Freeburn. “We try to look for residents directly on the canyon rim… they don’t have to have binoculars or anything. It’s just to make sure there’s nothing happening out there that might be a threat,” he said. University City community leaders will gather at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8 at the Standley Park Recreation Center Game Room, 3585 Governor Drive, to take the next steps to lay out fire safety procedures. Community members have already hosted at least one meeting in September with officials from San Diego Fire and Rescue, San Diego Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT), and UC community organizers in cooperation with District 1 Councilmember Sherri Lightner to get the program off the ground. The meeting resulted in volunteers coming forward to scout potential lookout sites near homes around the canyon rim. Lighnter, who took office in December, said it’s a neighborhood driven effort. “If you smell something, check it out. It’s your community,” Lightner said. Community members have already started distributing fire safety information to ramp up awareness. The UC Fire Watch program follows on the heels of Rancho Penasquitos, where residents have already identified seven “lookout” points along the Los Penasquitos preserve, Lightner said. She added that the program could extend across the city with no cost other than time dedicated to city Fire Department fire safety training for residents. Organizers said training could begin after the Oct. 8 meeting. While smaller community fire-watch programs may have little effect on larger fires that start farther east, the localized program could alleviate fears and help stop potential large fires, Lightner said. The Witch and Harris fires of 2007 destroyed hundreds of homes and structures while displacing thousands in Rancho Bernardo, Poway and East County, according to news reports. For information call Lightner’s communications director, John Rivera, (619) 920-4146.