5-Acre Prescribed Burn Set For Friday At UCSC

SANTA CRUZ, CA – Firefighters will start a prescribed burn on a part of the University of California at Santa Cruz campus Friday.

Cal Fire is hoping the burn will help an endangered type of beetle, called the Ohlone tiger beetle.

Firefighters also want to protect coastal prairie areas. The fire is expected to burn five acres on the lower Marshall Field at UC Santa Cruz.

Some nearby roads and trails may be closed during the burn.

"Smoke will be visible from many areas in Santa Cruz County and is no cause for alarm," Cal Fire spokesman Scott Kenney said in a news release.

Two fire engines and a crew from Ben Lomond Conservation Camp will be on hand during the burn.

Officials are also planning a prescribed burn along Empire Grade Road next week. Kenney said he would release more information on that burn at a later date.

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