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The Encinal Fire ignited on the last day of winter in the hills southeast of Salinas, and on Friday firefighters had it 100 percent contained.CalFire named the blaze the Encinal Fire was it burned 400 acres off Encinal Road. For three days, flames burned steep rugged terrain covered by thick Manzanita shrubs.A property owner who was in charge of a 35-acre controlled burn had proper permits and everything was going smoothly until Wednesday's strong afternoon winds picked up, CalFire officials said.“It died down, it really wasn’t burning. Then I heard the fire trucks coming up and I looked up. The whole side of hill on fire again,” neighbor Orville Burke said.CalFire got a 911 call at 6 p.m. Wednesday from the property owner reporting that he lost control of the blaze. Eight fire engines, three bulldozers, 200 firefighters, two air tankers, one helicopter, and one tactical plane were dispatched.No structures were threatened and no injuries were reported, CalFire information officer Jennifer Valdez said.Fire season never really ended this year in California. Big Sur was burned by a 900-acre wildfire in December by the Pfeiffer Fire, and the Encinal Fire ignited on the last day of winter.The U.S. National Forestry Service is still investigating the Pfeiffer Fire and has not officially released what caused it. PHOTOS: Big Sur Pfeiffer Fire"Due to unseasonably hot and dry weather conditions, CalFire has been operating beyond normal staffing levels. This contributed to our ability to respond to this incident with significantly more resources than usually available at this time of year," Valdez said.Wednesday's controlled burn was one of dozens scheduled this year under the Monterey County Wildfire Protection Plan. The plan allows for burning 20,000 acres to reduce buildup of hazardous fuels.Firefighters said despite the Encinal Fire getting out of control, March is a good time to for controlled burns because conditions are only going to worsen. While the drought was statewide, U.S. Drought Monitor officials said Central California experienced the most extreme drought weather this winter.CalFire is warning Central Coast property owners that dry winters mean wildfire-filled summers. The official fire season typically begin in June, but in 2014, it will begin May 1. "We’re on track to have another busy fire season. Last year we saw record-breaking activity with fuel conditions, this year we’re on track to surpass that," firefighter Scott Jalbert said.-Reported by KSBW's May Chow, Phil Gomez, and Amy Larson.