CAL FIRE Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit transitions out of peak fire season

Recent rains and cooler temperatures across the region have lowered the threat of wildfires, allowing CAL FIRE’s Sonoma-LakeNapa Unit to transition out of peak fire season effective Monday, Dec. 28, 2020 at 8 a.m. in Sonoma, Lake, Napa, Colusa, Yolo, and Solano Counties.

Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit Chief Shana Jones would like to remind residents that safe residential pile burning of forest residue by landowners is a crucial tool in reducing fire hazards. State, Federal, and local land management and fire agencies will also be utilizing this same window of opportunity to conduct prescribed burns aimed at improving forest health on private and public lands.

CAL FIR E w ill continue to maintain staffing to meet any potential threat, as well as maintaining the ability to strategically move resources to areas that remain at a higher threat level. CAL FIRE will also continue to monitor weather conditions closely and still has the ability to increase staffing should weather conditions change or if there is a need to support wildfires or other emergencies in other areas of the State.

The 2020 fire season has been a very active year, even more so than in 2019. Statewide, CAL FIRE and firefighters from many local agencies responded to over 8,000 wildfires within the

State Responsibility Area that burned over 1.4 million acres. In the SonomaLake-Napa Unit, CAL FIRE responded to over 600 wildfires that charred over 434,000 acres.

During the cooler winter months, CAL FIRE will continue to actively focus efforts on fire prevention and fuels treatment activities as guided by the State’s Strategic Fire Plan and localized Unit fire plans.

T hese w ill be done through public education, prescribed burns and various types of fuel reduction projects. These activities are aimed at reducing the impacts of large, damaging wildfires, public safety and improving overall forest health.

Residents are urged

to still take precautions outdoors in order to prevent sparking a wildfire. A leading cause of wildfires this time of year is from escaped landscape debris burning. Before you burn, ensure it is a permissive burn day by contacting the local air quality district and then make sure you have any and all required burn permits. During burning, make sure that piles of landscape debris are no larger than four feet in diameter, provide a 10 ft. clearance down to bare mineral soil around the burn pile and ensure that a responsible adult is in attendance at all times with a water source and a shovel.

For more ways to burn safely visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org.