Monday morning, a bear made its way into a Nevada City home, startling a couple living inside while digging through the kitchen looking for food. No injuries were reported, and the only damage was a broken screen door, but this marks the third such encounter with bears inside homes in just the past week. Experts with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife tells KCRA-3 that with the bear population rising in the region, residents should make sure to close and lock all doors and windows, secure pet food, regularly tend to fruit trees and use a bear-proof trash box. If you do come across a bear, don't provoke it, give it plenty of space, and call 9-1-1 right away. This is one of several close-calls with bears in the Northern California region in recent days. A bear was spotted taking a cooler from a South Lake Tahoe beach go-er last weekend and another bear was shot after it attempted to break into a home in Meyers.