CHICO — While the north state has seen a handful of early rains this year, fire season is still very much in effect.
In previous years fires, such as the Camp Fire which occurred on Nov. 8, have started later in the season. Cal Fire-Butte County Public Information Officer Rick Carhart said the fire season officially ends when declared by Fire Chief Garrett Sjolund.
“The fire chief declares the end of fire season and there are just a bunch of different factors that have to come into line,” Carhart said, adding that the end of the fire season will be heavily publicized by Cal Fire-Butte County.
However, the rain has turned some of the fire fuels green, prompting the county to lift its burn suspension for those with the proper permit.
“With the rain and high humidity and the fact that the rain has basically allowed grasses to start turning green, that does reduce the risk of a massive wildfire,” Carhart said. “That occurred to the point that we felt it appropriate to allow backyard burning again. You need the burn permit, but if you got a permit in the spring for the May and June burn period, that permit is still valid through the end of the fire season.”
Those in need of a burn permit can apply for one at burnpermit.fire.ca.gov.
Carhart noted that even when out of fire season, burns can still escape if the individual conducting the burn is not careful, so safety precautions must be taken. He added that a hose or water source should be on hand at all times.
Residents looking to burn also need to check with Butte County Air Quality Control to make sure no red flag warnings are in place. If the conditions aren’t safe on any given day, a burn would be restricted.
The 2023 fire season in Butte County has been milder compared to recent years.
“We appreciate the cooperation and teamwork of the residents in Butte County,” Carhart said. “It’s been a relatively quiet fire season in the county and we’re happy for that.”
Weekend winds
This weekend, forecasts show a strong case for gusts which can create high fire risk conditions including low humidity while also helping fire spread if it does get out of hand.
“I would definitely caution people, especially this time of year,” Carhart said. “This area is susceptible to strong wind events and there is a chance this weekend that we’ll see significant winds. There’s a chance that there could be a fire weather watch and possibly a red flag warning. As always, if you are going to burn, you have to check with the Butte County Air Quality Management District every day because they will put out whether it is a burn day or not.”
Scott Rowe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Sacramento office, said gusts were expected to be high, especially in higher-elevation areas such as the foothills on the eastern part of the county.
“For Butte County, we are expecting windy conditions on Saturday and continuing into Sunday,” Rowe said. “The strongest winds will be in the foothills and the edge of the county at about 45-50 miles per hour, especially in the upper Feather River areas like Jarbo Gap. Even for populated areas like Chico and Oroville, we’re looking at wind gusts in the 20-30 mile-per-hour range.”
Rowe said that western parts of the county could also see gusts at 30 miles per hour based on the offshore winds expected.
Helpful links
There are multiple websites that offer assistance and advice when referring to fire safety and conducting safe control burns. These links include the following:
• Burnpermit.fire.ca.gov, where residents can go to apply for a burn permit.
• www.readyforwildfire.org provides tips for wildfire preparedness and evacuation while allowing residents to sign up for text messages telling them about nearby wildfires.
• Bereadybutte.com takes a localized approach and informs residents of their evacuation zones as well as facts about wildfires.
• hbcaqmd.org which is the website for the Butte County Air Quality Management District where it lists whether or not burns are permissible each day.
