Auburn, Calif. December 7, 2016 – On Wednesday, December 7, 2016, the CAL FIRE Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit, with the support and cooperation from our allied Placer County Agencies, will complete an up to 25 acre prescribed burn on the Mt Howell Fire Lookout property in Placer County. This Vegetation Management Program burn will be conducted from approximately 10:00 a.m. until conclusion, weather and air quality conditions permitting. The purpose of this burn is reducing the fire hazard and improvement of forest health on the Mt. Howell property.
CAL FIRE is conducting this prescribed burn as part of an ongoing fuel modification project to minimize wildfire risk and control the invasive French Broom population. Introducing low intensity fire back into the ecosystem encourages a more drought adaptive forest with increased water yield from annual rainfall. Wildlife habitat will also improve with the resulting diversified plant community.
The burn will begin around 10:00 a.m. and continue into the afternoon hours. Smoke will be visible from Interstate 80 between Colfax and Weimar and in the general surrounding areas.
Firefighters will work to control the fire intensity and ensure the fire progresses in a safe manner. CAL FIRE resources will continue to check the area for several days after the burn to monitor conditions and ensure public safety.
CAL FIRE would like to remind everyone to be fire wise and fire safe. When in doubt double check to make sure your burn pile is out and never leave a fire unattended.