South County is one of the most susceptible areas to fire in the region due to its geographic position, its moderately wet winters combined with dry, sweltering summers and its largely rural housing patterns set amid a teeming wilderness of vegetation that acts as fire fuel. Higgins Fire Protection District, which provides service to approximately 12,000 residents in South County, has been increasingly constrained in providing service, which has led the district to seek an additional $100 from annual property tax bills for the 90-square-mile area it serves via a May 7 special election — similar to the Measure B …