CAL FIRE has announced it will be suspending burn permits in Contra Costa County and other areas beginning June 30, 2023 due to high fire danger.
Here is the notice.
Morgan Hill – After another wet winter and above average snow pack, warming temperatures and winds are quickly drying out the abundant annual grass crop.
The increasing fire danger posed by the high volume of dead grass and hotter, drier conditions in the region prompting CAL FIRE to suspend all burn permits for outdoor residential burning within the State Responsibility Areas of Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa counties, and the western portions of Stanislaus and San Joaquin Counties. The suspension takes effect June 30, 2023 and bans all residential outdoor burning of landscape debris such as branches and leaves.
Santa Clara Unit Chief George Huang would like to remind everyone, “all residents need to be ready by creating or maintaining 100 feet of Defensible Space around their home by removing dead or drying grass and brush”.
Since January, 2023, CAL FIRE and firefighters across the state have already responded to over 1,900 wildfires burning over 6,700 acres. While outdoor burning of landscape debris by homeowners is no longer allowed. CAL Fire is asking residents to take that extra time to ensure that they are prepared for wildfires by maintaining a minimum of 100 feet of Defensible Space around every home and building on their property and being prepared to evacuate if the time comes.
Here are some tips to help prepare homes and property:
- Clear all dead and or dying vegetation 100 feet from around all structures
- Landscape with fire resistant plants and non-flammable ground cover
- Find alternative ways to dispose of landscape debris like chipping or hauling it to a biomass energy or green waste facility.
The department may issue restricted temporary burning permits if there is an essential reason due to public health and safety. Agriculture, land management, fire training, and other industrial-type burning may proceed if CAL Fire official inspects the burn site and issue a special permit.
The suspension of burn permits for landscape debris does not apply to campfires within organized campgrounds or on private property. Campfires may be permitted if the campfire is maintained in such a manner as to prevent its spread to the wildland. A campfire permit can be obtained at local fire stations or online at preventwildfireca.org.
For more information on burning, visit the CAL FIRE website at www.fire.ca.gov.
Recent Fires in Contra Costa County:
- June 25 – Overnight Kirker Pass Fire Burns 35-Acres in Concord
- June 25 – Firefighters Battle 73-Acre Vegetation Fire in Brentwood
- June 20 – Fire Crews Battle 4 Alarm Fire at Abandoned Warehouse in Antioch
