CAL FIRE - TCU has suspended all burning permits

The Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit of Cal Fire has suspended all burning permits in Calaveras, Tuolumne, and parts of Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, effective at 8 a.m. Monday.

Tuolumne/Calaveras Unit Chief Mike Noonan said eliminating debris burns could help stop those fires from escaping and putting lives and property in danger.

An escaped debris burn has been established as the cause of a 111-acre fire May 22 outside San Andreas.

State Responsibility Areas of Tuolumne, Calaveras, Eastern Stanislaus and Eastern San Joaquin counties - all within the Tuolumne/Calaveras Cal Fire Unit - are affected by the ban.

Wednesday's declaration "... rescinds all previously approved Dooryard Burn Permits and large-scale Project Burn Permits," a Cal Fire announcement said. Dooryard permits are those Cal Fire issues to homeowners to burn piles of yard waste and debris.

"Property owners wishing to burn debris on their property are now prohibited from doing so unless they can prove that their project burn must be completed for health or safety reasons," Cal Fire said. "Any planned burning site must be inspected and approved before a permit may be reissued."

"Experience has shown that suspending debris burns is an effective way of preventing wildfire escapes, especially as California enters a period of hotter and drier weather," Noonan said. "Although all fires cannot be prevented through a burning suspension, their numbers can be significantly reduced."

Noonan added that individuals are responsible to use fire safely, "and to prevent fires that destroy lives, homes, vehicles, and the wild land."

Campfires will be allowed in designated campgrounds with permission of the jurisdictional authority.