Use Caution If Burning

The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Fire Warning for the Stanislaus National Forest, and it is also a “permissive burn day” in both Tuolumne and Calaveras Counties.

We asked CAL Fire spokesperson Lisa Williams if it is safe for residents to burn piles, given the concerns regarding the Forest. “CAL Fire does not have any burn restrictions in effect right now,” says Williams. “If the Air Pollution Control District has deemed it a burn day, people can burn, but you need to remember that it is very dry, and you need to have suppression tools around the burn project, such as water and shovels. I do understand that there is potential for gusty winds in the Stanislaus Forest area this afternoon, so if it does become breezy and gusty, it is not a safe condition to burn. We ask people to monitor the weather, and not burn during breezy or gusty time frames.”

On a related note, a Spokesperson for the Stanislaus National Forest reports that they have postponed the Crandall Understory Prescribed Burn that was scheduled to take place today.