Northern California fire restrictions: 5-county burn permit suspension now in effect
IS UNDER INVESTIGATION. WELL, CAL FIRE SAYS THAT WE HAVE REACHED THAT POINT IN FIRE SEASON WHEN IT’S LONG, NO LONGER LONGER SAFE, NO LONGER SAFE TO DO. DEBRIS BURNS ON YOUR PROPERTY. AND THAT’S WHY THE AGENCY IS SUSPENDING BURN PERMITS FOR CERTAIN COUNTIES. KCRA 3’S MELANIE WINGO JOINS US NOW WITH WHY THE BURN BANS ARE GOING INTO EFFECT RIGHT NOW. MELANIE. GOOD MORNING. YEAH, QUITE SIMPLY, THE CONDITIONS WE’RE SEEING AT THIS POINT IN THE YEAR MAKE IT UNSAFE FOR THOSE BURNS TO CONTINUE. YEAH. EARLIER IN THE SEASON, THERE ARE HELPFUL TOOL IN GETTING RID OF A LOT OF DEBRIS ON PROPERTY THAT COULD COULD LEAD TO FIRES. BUT RIGHT NOW IT IS JUST TOO DANGEROUS. ACCORDING TO CAL FIRE. SO TAKE A LOOK. THE BURN PERMIT SUSPENSION GOES INTO EFFECT AND IS IN EFFECT NOW. EVER SINCE ABOUT MIDNIGHT, CAL FIRE SAYS IT MADE THE DECISION TO STOP ALLOWING DEBRIS BURNS BECAUSE WE’RE SEEING WARMING TEMPERATURES. WE’RE ALSO SEEING DRY WINDS AND ABUNDANT ANNUAL GRASS GROWTH. JUST LOTS OF TALL GRASSES OUT THERE. ACCORDING TO CAL FIRE. AND SO THOSE ARE THE FACTORS THAT QUICKLY INCREASE FIRE DANGER ACROSS THE REGION. SO THE BURN PERMIT SUSPENSION APPLIES TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES ALPINE, AMADOR, EL DORADO, SACRAMENTO AND SAN JOAQUIN COUNTIES. THE SUSPENSION WENT INTO EFFECT, AS I MENTIONED, AFTER MIDNIGHT, AND PROHIBITS ALL RESIDENTIAL OUTDOOR BURNING OF LANDSCAPE DEBRIS. THINGS LIKE BRANCHES, YARD WASTE, LEAF PILES, ANYTHING YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD ON YOUR PROPERTY THE PAST FEW WEEKS. BUT JUST BECAUSE THOSE BURN PERMITS ARE SUSPENDED NOW, THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOUR EFFORTS TO KEEP THAT DEFENSIBLE SPACE FROM AROUND YOUR HOME SHOULD STOP. CAL FIRE SAYS IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO CLEAR ALL DEAD OR DYING VEGETATION FROM AT LEAST 100FT AROUND ANY STRUCTURES ON YOUR PROPERTY. LANDSCAPE WITH FIRE RESISTANT PLANTS OR NON FLAMMABLE GROUND COVER AND DISPOSE OF LANDSCAPE DEBRIS BY CHIPPING IT OR HAULING IT TO A BIOMASS OR GREEN WASTE FACILITY. AND BACK OUT HERE LIVE. JUST BECAUSE THOSE BURN PERMITS ARE NOW SUSPENDED, THAT DOESN’T MEAN YOU CAN’T HAVE A CAMPFIRE IF YOU ARE DOING IT IN A SAFE MANNER, BE IT AT A CAMPGROUND OR ON YOUR PROPERTY. AND FOR MORE ON HOW YOU CAN GET A CAMPFIRE PERMIT, DID YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PERMIT TO HAVE A CAMPFIRE, EVEN ON YOUR OWN PROPERTY? YOU DO. ACCORDING TO CAL FIRE. JUST VISIT READY FOR WILDFIRE.ORG AND YOU CAN FIND THE SPOT ON THAT WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN GET A BURN PERMIT. OR I SHOULD SAY A CAMPFIRE PERMIT. IF YOU WANT TO USE A CAMPFIRE AT SOME POINT THROUGH THE REST OF THE SUMMERTIME SEASON. MIKE AND BRANDI. YEAH, THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD REMINDERS THERE FOR SURE. MELANIE, BECAUSE WE KNOW JUST HOW THESE WILDFIRES CAN TAKE OFF AND THE DEVASTATION THEY CAN CAUSE. THANKS SO MUCH FOR THAT LIVE REPORT. AND OF COURSE, AS WE DO, HEAD INTO PEAK WILDFIRE SEASON, WE WANT TO REMIND ALL OF OUR VIEWERS THAT WE DO HAVE A WILDFIRE GUIDE RIGHT NOW ON KCRA.COM. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PULL OUT YOUR PHONE, SCAN THE QR CODE THAT’S ON YOUR SCREEN. IT DOES HAVE AN INTERACTIVE MAP THAT TRACKS INCIDENTS THAT HAVE HAPPENED SO FAR THIS SEASON. THERE’S ALSO A LIST OF RESOURCES ON HOW YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR THOSE EMERGENCY ALERTS. AGAIN, ALL OF THIS INCREDIBLY IMPORTAN
Northern California fire restrictions: 5-county burn permit suspension now in effect
Updated: 8:52 AM PDT Jun 16, 2025
Editorial Standards
A burn permit suspension is now in effect for Alpine, Amador, El Dorado, Sacramento, and San Joaquin counties, according to Cal Fire’s Amador-El Dorado Unit.The burn permit suspension went into effect just after midnight Monday, and prohibits all residential outdoor burning of landscape debris including things like branches, yard waste, and leaf piles.”Although debris burning is useful to reduce flammable vegetation, the conditions in Amador-El Dorado Unit have reached the point where debris burning poses an unacceptable risk of starting a wildfire and it is no longer safe for the public to perform these types of burns,” AEU Chief Mike Blankenheim said in a statement from the agency.Cal Fire made the decision to stop allowing debris burns because of warming temperatures, dry winds, and abundant annual grass growth. Those are the factors that quickly increase fire danger across the region.Just because those burn permits are suspended that doesn’t mean your efforts to keep up a defensible space around your home should stop, the agency said.Cal Fire recommends taking the following steps to reduce fire risk at your home:Clear all dead/dying vegetation from at least 100 feet around all structuresLandscape with fire resistant plants/non-flammable ground coverDispose of landscape debris by chipping and hauling it to a biomass or green waste facilityFor more wildfire safety information, visit Cal Fire’s readyforwildfire.org website.2025 California wildfires guide | How to prepare for and track fires across the stateSee more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
A burn permit suspension is now in effect for Alpine, Amador, El Dorado, Sacramento, and San Joaquin counties, according to Cal Fire’s Amador-El Dorado Unit.
The burn permit suspension went into effect just after midnight Monday, and prohibits all residential outdoor burning of landscape debris including things like branches, yard waste, and leaf piles.
“Although debris burning is useful to reduce flammable vegetation, the conditions in Amador-El Dorado Unit have reached the point where debris burning poses an unacceptable risk of starting a wildfire and it is no longer safe for the public to perform these types of burns,” AEU Chief Mike Blankenheim said in a statement from the agency.
Cal Fire made the decision to stop allowing debris burns because of warming temperatures, dry winds, and abundant annual grass growth. Those are the factors that quickly increase fire danger across the region.
Just because those burn permits are suspended that doesn’t mean your efforts to keep up a defensible space around your home should stop, the agency said.
Cal Fire recommends taking the following steps to reduce fire risk at your home:
- Clear all dead/dying vegetation from at least 100 feet around all structures
- Landscape with fire resistant plants/non-flammable ground cover
- Dispose of landscape debris by chipping and hauling it to a biomass or green waste facility
For more wildfire safety information, visit Cal Fire’s readyforwildfire.org website.
2025 California wildfires guide | How to prepare for and track fires across the state
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
