Cal Fire suspends all outdoor residential burn permits in El Dorado and Amador counties

Cal Fire has suspended all burn permits for outdoor residential burning within the State Responsibility Areas of Alpine, Amador, El Dorado, Sacramento, and San Joaquin counties just a week after allowing homeowners to get the permits. Starting at 12:00 a.m. Monday, May 10, the ban goes into effect due to the increasing fire danger posed by dead grass, dry brush, and live vegetation combined with hotter, drier conditions in the region.

The decision bans all residential outdoor burning of landscape debris such as branches, pine needles, pine cones, and leaves.

In just the first four months of 2021, Cal Fire and firefighters across California have already responded to over 1,788 wildfires burning over 13,604 acres.

“We are experiencing drought conditions and extreme fire weather much earlier than usual for this time of year," said Amador-El Dorado Chief Mike Blankenheim. "Although debris burning is useful to reduce flammable vegetation, the conditions in the Amador-El Dorado Unit have reached the point where debris burning poses an unacceptable risk of starting a wildfire.”

Here are some tips to help prepare homes and property:

• Clear all dead and or dying vegetation 100 feet from around all structures.
• Landscape with fire-resistant plants and non-flammable ground cover.
• Find alternative ways to dispose of landscape debris like chipping or hauling it to a biomass energy or green waste facility

For additional information on how to create Defensible Space, how to be prepared for wildfires, as well as tips to prevent wildfires, visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org.