Crime & Safety
Officials Issue Burn Ban for East and South Bay
Special permits for fire training and other activities involving flames will be required.
by Bay City News
State fire officials have issued a ban on all open burning in parts of the East Bay and South Bay due to dry conditions and increased fire danger. The burn ban, which takes effect Monday, coversAlameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties, as well as portions of Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The counties covered by the ban are experiencing record-breaking low rainfall, low humidity, dry fuel moisture levels and increased fire activity, according to Cal Fire Division Chief Rich Sampson. Santa Cruz County alone has experienced 31 vegetation fires in November and December, compared to five or seven in a normal season, Sampson said.
Special permits will be required for agriculture, land management, fire training and other industrial-type burning, and camp fires are allowed in designated campgrounds or in designated facilities on private property.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.