Fire Season Officially Over In San Mateo County

Peak fire season ended Monday in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties thanks to recent rains and cooler temperatures across the region, according to Cal Fire. The agency's unit in those two counties were scheduled to transition out of peak fire season as of 8 a.m. Monday, Cal Fire announced.

Cal Fire will continue to maintain staffing to meet any potential threat, the agency said, as well as maintaining the ability to move resources to areas with a higher level of threat.

The agency noted that its San Mateo-Santa Cruz unit responded to 68 wildfires that burned 459 acres in the area this year. Statewide, Cal Fire and firefighters from other agencies responded to more than 6,000 wildfires that burned nearly 505,000 acres within the State Responsibility Area.

As the weather grows cooler, Cal Fire will focus its efforts on fire prevention and fuels treatment activities, the agency said.

Residents should still take precautions outdoors in order to avoid starting a wildfire, the agency said. A leading cause of wildfires this time of year is from landscape debris burning, according to Cal Fire.

Before burning, residents should ensure it is a permissive burn day by contacting the Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District for Santa Cruz County or Bay Area Air Quality Management District for San Mateo County.

Residents must also obtain any and all required burn permits.During burning, piles should be no larger than four feet in diameter or as specified in the burn permit. There should be 10 feet of clear space around the fire, and a responsible adult should watch the fire at all times, with a water source and a shovel.

More ways to burn safely can be found at www.ReadyForWildfire.org.

By Bay City News Service / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone