Information provided by Cal Fire
Editor’s note: Cal Fire suspended the prescribed burn as of Sept. 20.
Conditions and weather permitting, Cal Fire plans to conduct a multiple-day broadcast burn in the Fremont Peak Area of San Benito County from September 18th to the 24th. The project aims to remove excess vegetation along the San Juan Shaded Fuel Break. The road will be open with traffic control during the burning operations.
This prescribed fire project was planned as part of broader strategic efforts to protect the local community and nearby natural resources. These plans are informed by community and local stakeholder input and serve as a collaborative effort with various cooperators throughout the project. This project adds to significant work underway throughout the state. It brings California closer to meeting or exceeding state fuel reduction goals directed by the California Fire Plan and the California Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan.
Each operation follows a specialized burn plan, which considers temperature, humidity, wind, moisture of the vegetation, and conditions for the dispersal of smoke. All this information is used to decide when and where to burn.
Smoke from prescribed fire operations is daily and may continue for several days after ignition, depending on the project size, conditions, and weather. Prescribed fire smoke is generally less intense and of much shorter duration than smoke produced by wildland fires.
Smoke from this control burn will be visible from the San Juan Valley, Hollister area, Highway 156, and in both Monterey and San Benito Counties, as well as Highway 101 in the Salinas – Prunedale areas. Weather conditions will be monitored, and burn may be postponed if burning conditions are unfavorable. CAL FIRE is in close consultation with the National Weather Service’s Monterey office and Monterey Bay Air Resources District to ensure that the burn takes place in appropriate weather conditions; the project may be postponed if conditions are not conducive to a safe burn.
To track the progress being made, both in your community and throughout California, please visit the CAL FIRE fuels reduction dashboard at https://www.fire.ca.gov/what-we-
do/natural-resource-management/fuels-reduction and help share important preventing and preparedness information with your neighbors at readyforwildfire.org
To be added to the Prescribed Fire Notification list, Send a request to BEU.ResourceManagement@fire.ca.gov
For additional information on preparing for and preventing
wildfires, visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org.