Cal Fire suspends burn permits in Santa Cruz County
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV) — As the weather starts heating up, CAL FIRE is suspending all backyard burn permits in Santa Cruz County, official April 6.
"The fire outlook still does not show any helpful precipitation so that is a big factor. And then the fuels are currently trending about four to six weeks ahead of where they normally have been historically," said CAL FIRE San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit Battalion Chief Jed Wilson.
Wilson says warm temperatures forecasted for Wednesday and Thursday also spurred the change. Those living in the Santa Cruz Mountains, scarred by past fires, say these hot days bring extra anxiety that another fire could spark.
"Today is a day that I'm going to do a lot of additional work just in preparation, just because I know that anything that could happen, and I don't want it to be something that I did," said Ted Barney, who lives in Ben Lomond.
Barney said that his family was in Bonny Doon the day that lightning struck, igniting the CZU wildfire in 2020.
"We were actually looking for a house at that time and some of the places we looked at were hit by that fire," added Barney. "I do have friends that have been affected and they're holding up pretty nicely. But they're hiding it pretty good, too. And I know it's been tough for everybody to get re-permitted."
Although burning fuels can help with fire danger, Wilson said areas that already burned in the CZU fire aren't in the clear.
"Trees that were killed during the fire have fallen and they are on the ground floor, providing ladder fuels. And especially tan oak in the Santa Cruz Mountains, once they've been exposed to fire, they drop all of their leaves, so it creates a pretty thick forest floor," said Wilson.
“California wildfires continue to threaten our communities,” said Chief Joe Tyler, CAL FIRE Director. “With the conditions set for an early start of the 2022 fire season, it is imperative that we collectively take preventative steps now to prepare, and we ask all Californians to do their part in wildfire preparedness.”
Although CAL FIRE hasn't officially declared fire season in California yet, Wilson says they are in a transitional period, which means they are starting to bring in and train extra crews. He says that staffing is also about four weeks ahead of schedule.
READ MORE: Cal Fire speaks on defensible space preparations ahead of fire season
Although backyard burning has been suspended, agricultural and hazard reduction burns are still allowed, however, you need to have a site visit from fire crews before doing so.
To learn more about creating defensible space around your home, visit these two websites:
