Two Fires Will Fill Skies With Smoke

Tuolumne County, CA — The Dry Meadow and Highway prescribed burns will be ignited at the end of May on the Stanislaus National Forest.

Forest Service officials report smoke will be visible along Highway 108 and in communities near the Summit Ranger District.  The plan is to ignite both fires next week, weather permitting. The larger burn will be the Dry Meadow Underburn. 475 acres will be treated with low-intensity fire along Forest Road 5N02 about six miles northeast of Pinecrest near the Dry Meadow Fire Station. Forest service spokesperson Diana Fredlund indicates, “They will be burning 50 to 100 acres a day and expect burning to go on through the end of spring.”

In contrast, the Highway Prescribed Burn located north of Strawberry; along Forest Road 4N12 or Herring Creek Road will be just one acre and is expected to last one day, hopefully Tuesday, according to Fredlund. She stresses that fire managers will work closely with local air districts and the California Air Resources Board to mitigate the effects of smoke to the public. Fredlund also suggest there is no need by citizens to report these burns as a wildland fire.