Amador County – California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection last week issued a reminder to people to burn safely.

Katrina Blumer, fire prevention bureau chief of the Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit in a release last week reminded “foothill residents and property owners that wildfires occur year-round, even in the Mother Lode.”

“Within hours after the sun comes out following a storm, the top layer of needles, leaves, or dead grass and weeds can become dry enough to burn,” Blumer said. During the last week of January, her unit responded to several escaped debris burns, which “quickly threatened surrounding properties, and subjected the people who started the fires to fines, and the cost of damages and suppression.”

She said it is “essential that you make your property fire safe with 100 feet of defensible space around all structures.” Winter and early spring is a good time to do the work, when people can dispose of the brush, limbs, and other trimmings in burn piles.

Simple rules to remember include obtaining any permits required. “Some homeowner associations and incorporated cities require, and issue their own permits year-round,” she said. Cal Fire burn permits will be required on May 1, but the safety precautions outlined on the permit will help people burn safely year-round.

People are responsible for their fire at all times, and “if the fire escapes your control, you will be responsible for the costs involved in putting it out, as well as for any damage it causes.”

Before burning each day, you must check burn day status by calling the Air Pollution Control District with jurisdiction over your area. Permissive burn days are determined on the basis of air quality, not whether it’s actually safe to burn. Burn days are frequently windy days. The wind helps smoke disperse rather than allowing it to stagnate over neighborhoods, but it also carries sparks or embers to nearby dead leaves, needles and grass that have dried out surprisingly fast after rain or snow. Blumer said if materials “crunch underfoot, they will burn.”

Another rule is to “clear flammable material 10 feet from all burn piles, and keep a shovel, rake, and charged water hose near your burn pile,” and “having a cell phone handy will allow you to quickly call 911 if your fire does escape your control.”

Blumer said people should “be a good neighbor: Burn safely, and legally, and make sure your defensible space is ready to face a wildfire.”

For more information about defensible space requirements, and safe burning practices, contact your local CAL FIRE station.

For Amador “burn day” or “no burn day” status info, and burn permit requirements call (209)223-6246.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.