The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection announced that burn permits in areas within its jurisdiction in Amador County and the western slope of El Dorado County will be suspended July 2.
That leaves property owners with a little more than a week to burn residential debris piles on permissive burn days.
If it is unsafe to burn because of outdoor temperature, wind, terrain or other factors, fire officials advise waiting until winter to complete burning activities.
"Recently we have responded to a number of fires caused by residential debris piles that have escaped the control of the landowner," Chief Kelly Keenan of Cal Fire's Amador-El Dorado Unit said in a written statement. "We even responded to a fire caused by a golf cart driving into high, dry weeds, so everyone needs to be extremely cautious with everything they are doing that can cause a fire."
For safe burning, fire officials remind property owners to:
• Keep all piles no larger than 4 feet by 4 feet.
• Have a charged hose and shovel within arm's reach.
• Maintain a 10-foot barrier of bare dirt around each pile.
• Keep a telephone nearby.
• Burn only vegetation from your property. It is illegal to burn household trash of any kind.
• Do not use a burn barrel.
• Never leave the burning pile unattended.
• Make sure the pile is completely out. Pour water, stir with a shovel and check that all the underground embers are no longer burning or smoldering.
The July 2 burn permit suspension does not apply to the Lake Tahoe Basin. For information regarding burning in that area, call (530) 543-2600.
Additional information regarding proper burning techniques are available on the Cal Fire website at www.fire.ca.gov of the Ready-Set-Go website at www.readyforwildfire.org.
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