Auburn, Calif. December 4, 2020 – The US National Weather Service Sacramento California is forecasting gusty winds to increase this weekend. With low relative humidity and dry fuels, these gusty winds could create elevated fire weather concerns for portions of the Sacramento Valley, mountains, and foothills. To prevent unnecessary risk of escaped pile burns, CAL FIRE recommends that residents:
• Check existing burn piles to ensure they are out prior to incoming winds.
• With wood burning stove usage on the increase, do not deposit or store hot ashes near flammable materials and contain them within a non- flammable metal contain until cold.
• Check with your air quality control district to confirm it is a permissive burn day prior to burning.
• Once burning resumes, comply with all safe pile burning practices including minimum clearance of 10-feet around your piles down to bare soil.
• Check weather conditions; refrain from burning on windy days*
• Burn dry, dead vegetative material only and have a water source and shovel on hand.
• Tend to your pile always.
• Burn between 9am-3pm for maximum smoke dispersion.
Pile burning, or door yard burning is a necessary and efficient tool which helps residents develop defensible space and implement good land stewardship practices. However, in a little over two weeks’ time, since burning has been permissible, multiple escape debris burns, requiring fire department action, have occurred because of an out of control burn pile. The incoming winds will increase this risk and necessitate action by residents to prevent further escapes.