SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) — In the North Bay, skies may be quite smoky starting Monday but firefighters are urging residents to avoid calling 911 because it’s a planned controlled burn. Two large prescribed burns will be happening California State Parks in Sonoma County on Monday.
Light rain was falling in Sonoma County Sunday – it’s weather AJ Johnson from San Francisco wasn’t ready for during a mountain bike ride in Trione-Annadel State Park.
“Yeah, it was a surprise, I wasn’t expecting it, I didn’t bring my rain gear or anything,” Johnson said.
“We’re starting to get a little bit of precipitation — not quite enough,” said CAL FIRE spokesperson, Jason Clay.
MORE: Cal Fire firefighter arrested for allegedly starting 5 North Bay fires while off duty
CAL FIRE says despite the cooler weather, fire danger is still high. On Monday, the department along with State Parks will burn 70 acres of dry brush and vegetation inside Trione-Annadel Park.
“We have the resources at hand that are available to do this work, we have some good windows given the weather, so all the stars are aligning for us to do this important proactive work,” said Clay.
In between fighting real fires this season, prescribed burns help firefighters reduce wildfire risk.
Portions of the state park burned during the 2017 North Bay wildfires, a lot of the vegetation has since grown back.
MORE: East Bay cities consider banning vegetation, wood fences within 5 feet of homes to reduce fire risks
“For the prescribed burns – if it’s keeping everybody safe, that’s a good thing,” said Hilary Rragami from Santa Rosa.
Another prescribed burn will take place at Salt Point State Park on the Sonoma Coast, where CAL FIRE plans to burn about 260 acres over several days. Alerts to the public are posted on the park’s website.
“Lots of smoke, I can count on that,” said Rragami.
Firefighters say cooler wet weather is good but they’re not letting their guard down yet. Because in California fire season never really ends.
“We are in that period where we are transitioning towards fall weather, we’ll see what the rest brings. We are still prepared, we have our staffing, we have peak staffing levels right now,” Clay added.
Copyright © 2024 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.
