Cal Fire suspends burn permits June 1

CAL FIRE said Friday it will suspend residential burn permits in Merced, Mariposa and Madera counties beginning June 1 as temperatures rise and vegetation dries across central California. The agency said the suspension applies to outdoor residential burning in state responsibility areas and will remain in place until further notice. A separate restriction is already moving sooner in the Sierra foothills. In parts of Tuolumne, Calaveras, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, CAL FIRE will halt permitted burning below 3,500 feet starting Monday, according to local reporting and CAL FIRE unit guidance. ### Which counties are covered, and when do the suspensions start? June 1 is the effective date for the Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit suspension covering Eastern Madera County, Mariposa County and the state responsibility area of Merced County, according to CAL FIRE and local reporting. Those counties had already moved to a permit-required season on May 1, meaning residents needed a valid CAL FIRE permit and a permissive burn day before burning landscape debris. (aol.com) Monday is the start date for the lower-elevation suspension in the Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit. The Union Democrat reported that outdoor open residential burning below 3,500 feet will be suspended in state responsibility areas of Tuolumne and Calaveras counties and in eastern portions of Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties. ### What kind of burning is being stopped? (aol.com) Residential landscape-debris burning is the main activity affected. CAL FIRE’s burn-permit system says residential permits cover hazard reduction burning of dead vegetation in areas where the agency has jurisdiction, and violations of permit terms are violations of state law. April 24 marked the start of the permit-required season in Madera, Mariposa and Merced areas under CAL FIRE jurisdiction. (uniondemocrat.com) That earlier notice said allowed material was limited to grass, brush, downed trees and limbs, and other dead, dry vegetation, with separate rules for local response areas and agricultural burning. (burnpermit.fire.ca.gov) ### Why is CAL FIRE tightening rules now? CAL FIRE said the June 1 suspension in Merced, Mariposa and Madera counties was driven by extreme or elevated wildfire risk as hotter, drier conditions take hold. Local reporting cited the agency as saying rising temperatures, low fuel moisture and little to no rain in the forecast had increased the threat to life, property and natural resources. (mariposacounty.gov) May has already brought fire activity in the region. CAL FIRE’s incident pages show the Madera-Mariposa-Merced Unit responded to the 29-acre Landfill Fire near Winton on May 18, while the agency’s statewide incidents page lists more than 1,200 wildfires so far this year. Those figures do not establish a direct cause for the permit suspensions, but they show the agency is operating during an active early fire season. (aol.com) ### Does this mean all outdoor fire use is banned? CAL FIRE’s public burn-permit guidance distinguishes residential debris burning from other kinds of fire use. The permit site says campfire permits, general burn permits and broadcast burn permits are separate categories with different rules and jurisdictions. State responsibility area boundaries also matter. CAL FIRE says its residential burn permits apply only within state responsibility areas or places where the agency has jurisdiction, and residents outside those zones must check with local fire authorities and air districts. (fire.ca.gov) ### Where should residents check before burning? CAL FIRE’s current burn-status page lists county-by-county restrictions and notes that even where burning is allowed, residents still must confirm a permissive burn day with the local air district. (burnpermit.fire.ca.gov) The agency encourages residents to obtain permits in advance and verify local conditions before burning. The next steps are fixed on the calendar. (burnpermit.fire.ca.gov) Monday brings the below-3,500-foot suspension in parts of Tuolumne, Calaveras, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, and June 1 brings the broader suspension in Merced, Mariposa and Madera counties, with updates posted through CAL FIRE’s burn-status and permit pages. (uniondemocrat.com) (burnpermit.fire.ca.gov)