Crime & Safety

Cal Fire Suspends Burn Permits for Los Gatos

Suspension applies to Santa Clara County areas, too.

Cal Fire has suspended burn permits effective Monday, June 13, the official start of fire season.

Cal Fire will be suspending all permits for open burning within the so-called State Responsibility Areas (SRA) and Local Responsibility Areas (LRA) in Santa Clara County under contract with the agency.  

The suspension is based on changing weather patterns, fuel conditions and increasing fire activity within the Bay area, and throughout the state of California, according to the agency.                 

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Starting today, Cal Fire will be staffing 12 engines within the county and others to meet changing weather and fire conditions.

According to Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit Chief Steve Woodill, this year’s increase of rainfall and added vegetation growth has created an extra hazard and the public is asked to use caution in wild land areas.                                                 

Find out what's happening in Los Gatoswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The public has a responsibility under California law to maintain a defensible space around all buildings in the wildland and wildland areas within the urban interfaces, Woodill said, who oversees the counties of Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa, Stanislaus and San Joaquin in the Santa Clara Unit.

Cal Fire is also offering the following 5 safety recommendations:

• Be extra careful with fire. Of the 6,000-plus wildfires that Cal Fire responds to every year, more than 90 percent are caused by people. Equipment use is the most common cause.

• Use weed eaters, chain saws, etc. only during the cool, moist times of day. Be careful not to send sparks into dry grass.

• Remember lawn mowers are only for lawns. They can actually cause fires if used on dry grass.

• Be prepared for the worst. Have a plan for gathering family members, pets and valuables in case an approaching wildfire requires evacuation.

• Create a defensible space around all structures. See the Cal Fire website “Fire Safety Education” section at www.fire.ca.gov.



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