Easing of Fire Restrictions in North Tahoe Fire and Meeks Bay Fire Protection Districts
November 10th, 2020
Contact: Erin Holland - Public Information Officer - North Tahoe Fire - holland@ntfire.net - 530-308-1158
Tahoe City, Calif. Nov. 10, 2020 – Thanks to the arrival of moisture and higher humidity, effective today, November 10, 2020 fire agencies in the Tahoe Basin may begin easing local fire restrictions. Local fire restrictions for the North Tahoe Fire and Meeks Bay Fire Protection Districts have been revised by the Fire Chief to allow the use of firepits and charcoal barbecues. CAL FIRE has not yet lifted the burn permit suspension that is in place in Placer and El Dorado counties, and residential door yard burning is not currently allowed.
Residents and visitors should expect to see smoke in the region as fire managers begin much needed prescribed fire operations. Locally within the North Tahoe Fire and Meeks Bay Fire service areas, California State Parks with the assistance of CAL FIRE, will begin burning 80 piles on four acres in the Sugar Pine Point State Park south of Tahoma beginning on November 12, 2020. Pile burning will continue over the next several weeks in and around the campground, and across General Creek along the South Fire Road. Pile burning is planned to begin at Burton Creek State Park (north of the Rocky Ridge Condos, and west of Burton Creek) later this month, and will continue for several weeks.
Prescribed fires are set by forest managers during less flammable weather conditions and kept within control lines, so the fire is of low severity consuming fuels that would otherwise burn at high severity during dangerous weather. Pile burning is intended to remove excess fuels (branches, limbs and stumps) that can feed unwanted wildfires, and involves burning slash piles that are constructed by hand and mechanical equipment. Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size and environmental conditions. Prescribed fire smoke is generally less intense and of much shorter duration than smoke produced by wildland fires.
Information on local prescribed fires and fuel reduction projects is available at https://www.tahoelivingwithfire.com/get-informed/.