Controlled Burns Planned Friday In San Mateo County

BELMONT, CA — Smoke may be visible from several Peninsula communities Friday as Cal Fire conducts two prescribed fires.

The first burn is planned on 5 acres on the face of San Andreas Dam, while the second will burn 20 acres of grassland at the Filoli Historic House and Garden. Cal Fire expects both controlled burns will be complete by the end of the day.

During the burns, residents living in or traveling through Woodside, Belmont, Burlingame, Emerald Hills, San Carlos, Devonshire, San Bruno, and parts of Interstate 280 may see smoke, along with fire engines and equipment near the burns. Cal Fire said there is no need to call 911.

The burns are part of a broader prescribed fire plan in the Peninsula Watershed. Cal Fire said the San Andreas Dam is filled with grass, and keeping the area clear of vegetation is necessary for safety. The fire at Filoli Historic House and Garden is meant to destroy medusahead grass.

"Medusahead is a non-native grass that matures several weeks later than other annual grasses," said Sarah Collamer, a Cal Fire forester. "If we burn it with a slow, hot fire after the seeds have ripened but before they drop, we can help control the population."

The Peninsula Watershed encompasses 23,000 acres that collect drinking water for three reservoirs that serve 1 million people around San Francisco and northern San Mateo County. Cal Fire notes it is also home to many rare, threatened, or endangered species.

"The Peninsula Watershed is an important and unique open space in the San Francisco Bay Area and valued by our neighboring communities," said Lisa Wayne, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's watershed resources manager. "We appreciate Cal Fire's efforts to reintroduce prescribed fire as a vegetation management tool to reduce wildfire risk and support native species."

>> Residents can track Cal Fire's progress with prescribed burns via an online dashboard.