Planned Burn Spurs Smoke Advisory For Parts Of RivCo

LAKE ELSINORE, CA — Riverside County firefighters announced that residents may see smoke billowing overhead this week while crews conduct a prescribed burn.

The vegetation management fire in the Lake Mathews area is expected to be fully extinguished by Friday, according to Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department.

Burning begins after 6 a.m. and usually ends by 1 p.m. on the same day, on certain days permitted by the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the department said.

Smoke may drift over nearby communities, but officials say it will disperse quickly, and it is not expected to be a health hazard.

The burn is meant to rehabilitate the burrowing owl and the Stephens' Kangaroo Rat by getting rid of invasive, non-native grasses and weed species, the department said.

The burn will allow the at-risk species to find food and make homes. The animals were recently down-listed from "endangered" to "threatened" because of prescribed burns, the department said.