In an ongoing effort to prevent wildfires, all burn permits in Los Angeles County remain suspended. The Los Angeles County Fire Department ceased issuing burn permits and allowing open fires as of July 1 due to increased fire activity and the five-year drought that continues throughout the southern portion of the state.
This burn suspension will remain in effect until enough precipitation is received to mitigate the fire threat.
During this critical time, the Fire Department urges all residents to do their part to be fire safe and to make sure they have prepared an emergency plan in case a fire threatens their home or family.
Nearly 95 percent of all wildland fires within the Fire Department’s jurisdiction are human-caused. Here are some tips all citizens can follow to prevent fires:
* Complete defensible space clearing, such as mowing, before 10 a.m. and never on a hot and windy day.
* Don’t toss cigarettes out your car window.
* Don’t pull your vehicle off the road into dry grass or brush. Hot exhaust pipes and mufflers can start fires that can’t be seen easily by the driver.
* In wildland areas, spark arresters are required on all portable gasoline powered equipment. This includes tractors, chainsaws, weed-whackers, mowers, motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).
* Report any suspicious activity.
* Check with local officials for additional fire restrictions.
Campfires within organized campgrounds or on private property are allowed as long as they are in a designated campfire site that prevents fire from spreading.
In accordance with Section 4423.2 of the Public Resources Code, the Los Angeles County Fire Department may issue restricted temporary burn permits if there is an essential reason due to public health and safety. Agriculture, land management, fire training and other industrial type burning may proceed if a Fire Department official inspects the burn site and issues a special permit.
For more fire safety tips visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org or the Los Angeles County Fire Department website at www.fire.lacounty.gov.
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7 Comments
We’re still in a drought? But magical Awesometown lifted our water restrictions. How can this be?
That’s related to fire conditions, not water availability. We were never lacking water; if ever you turned on your faucet and nothing came out, please let us know. That would be a news story!
It’s about fire conditions, not water availability. There’s no shortage of water; have you ever turned on your faucet & had nothing come out?
Take a drive up the 5 and get back to me about availability.
Water is a finite resource. Our lakes up north are at historic lows, so at some point, yes you’ll turn on the faucet and nothing will come out. Again water is not magical like we have come to expect.
The lakes up north were filled up in early spring, and there’s still snow melt filling Shasta. Folsom is currently at 50% capacity, was full a couple of months ago, but water has been let out for valley agriculture. NoCal got needed moisture this past year, SoCal did not.
Monica Candelaria