MAGALIA -- With fire danger slightly elevated this week due to warm, breezy weather, Cal Fire-Butte County ordered the staffing of the Sawmill Peak lookout tower.
A trained lookout was on duty throughout daylight hours Monday, and will return this week as officials deem necessary, said Cal Fire spokeswoman Janet Upton.
"Our battalion chiefs are given a lot of latitude in deciding when its prudent to staff the lookouts," Upton said. She added that the intelligence supplied by the trained lookouts can often determine the level of response needed to the fire.
"If we can catch it early and control it on the ground, thousands of dollars can be saved on air support," she said.
The state is currently covering the cost of the Sawmill lookouts.
Full time staffing at the lookout last year was delayed until late July, when a citizen's group raised $20,000 to cover the cost.
Tanker planes dispatched from the Chico Air Attack base will be available by mid-June, officials said.
Upton said a wildland fire that was first reported by a ranger in the Plumas National Forest burned about two acres near Feather Falls on Saturday night.
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