Amador County - Cooler weather and recent rains allowed the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to lift the burn suspension for our region on Monday, Oct. 11 at 8 am.

This began the transition toward the “winter preparedness level” in the Amador-El Dorado-Sacramento-Alpine Unit, or AEU. This transition allows AEU to release some seasonal firefighters, reduce staffing on fire engines and eventually close some remote wildland fire stations over the following weeks. However, CAL FIRE is always prepared to call resources back if fire weather conditions dictate.

The Air Quality Management Districts will be determining “burn days” or “no burn days.”

“We were very lucky this year with the uncharacteristically mild summer temperatures throughout the state,” said AEU Chief Bill Holmes. “We had anticipated a very dynamic fire season due to the large amount of fuel left on the ground from the December 2009 snow storm. In some places, there is as much as 33 percent more fuel on the ground than last year because of this storm and we are encouraging everyone to do their part by continuing to clean up their properties with the goal of creating defensible space around their homes.”

For more information on defensible space, burning safely and other fire prevention topics, visit www.fire.ca.gov.

To check on burn status and burn permit requirements, call the burn information line immediately prior to burning. You can also call Amador County’s burn information line at 223-6246.

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