Pile Burning Began Across Mi-Wok/Summit District

Debris pile burning

Sonora, CA – Smoke may be visible in the Clark’s Fork Road and Montgomery Meadow areas of the Stanislaus National Forest for the week.

Forest firefighters in the Mi-Wok/Summit Ranger District began pile burning today, Tuesday, November 12th. The goal is to burn a total of 200 acres for the week, with crews igniting about 50-75 acres a day.

“Currently we have over 60,000 piles within 10,000 acres across the two districts. With fall/winter weather approaching, we will begin in the areas that we historically lose access to once snow accumulates and then move down in elevation following the snow,” said Dan Guse, Mi-Wok/Summit District Fire Management Officer-Fuels. “Burning locations will be prioritized based on weather, access, and proximity to the Wildland Urban Interface.”

Forest spokesperson Ben Cossel added that overseeing the operation is Burn Boss, Jake Trevino, with one Wildland Fire Module, which is a specially trained ten-person hand crew. He added there will also be three engines assigned to the burn operation. Questions or concerns should be directed to Cossel at benjamin.cossel@usda.gov or 209.288.6261.