CAL FIRE San Mateo Santa Cruz Unit Transitions Out of Peak Fire Season
Felton – Recent rains and cooler temperatures across the region have lowered the threat of wildfires allowing CAL FIRE’s San Mateo Santa Cruz Unit to transition out of peak fire season effective the 14th of November 2016 , 8:00 am, in San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties.
As drought conditions continue to have a hold on California, CAL FIRE is maintaining staffing to meet the current threat, as well as strategically moving resources to areas that remain at a higher threat level. CAL FIRE will also continue to monitor weather conditions closely and still has the ability to increase staffing should weather conditions change or if there is a need to support wildfires or other emergencies in other areas of the State.
The 2016 fire season has been an extremely active year, even more so than in 2015. Statewide, CAL FIRE and firefighters from many local agencies battled over 5,585 wildfires within the State Responsibility Area that burned nearly 148,000 acres. This is over 1,170 more wildfires this year than normal. In the San Mateo Santa Cruz Unit, CAL FIRE responded to 54 wildfires that charred 41 acres.
During the cooler winter months, CAL FIRE will be focusing efforts on the implementation of fire prevention and fuels treatment activities as guided by the State’s Strategic Fire Plan and localized Unit fire plans. These activities are aimed at reducing the impacts of large, damaging wildfires and improving overall forest health.
Residents are urged to still take precautions outdoors in order to prevent sparking a wildfire. A leading cause of wildfires this time of year is from escaped landscape debris burning. Before you burn, ensure it is a permissive burn day by contacting the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District (MBUAPCD) for Santa Cruz County at (831) 647-9411 or Bay Area Air Quality Management District for San Mateo County at (415) 749-4900 and then make sure you have any and all required burn permits. Residential pile burning in Santa Cruz County is not permitted by MBUAPCD until December 1. During burning, make sure that piles of landscape debris are no larger than four feet in diameter, provide a 10 ft. clearance down to bare mineral soil around the burn pile and ensure that a responsible adult is in attendance at all times with a water source and a shovel.
For more ways to prevent sparking a wildfire visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org.
CAL FIRE NEWS RELEASE
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
San Mateo - Santa Cruz Unit
CONTACT: Angela Bernheisel, (831) 212-7805, CZU on twitter @CALFIRECZU
RELEASE DATE: November 11, 2016
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