Novato Readies To Hold Prescribed Burns

NOVATO, CA – Novato residents may see or smell smoke this week, but it won’t necessarily be a cause for alarm.

Several controlled burns are scheduled for this week in Novato as part of a seasonal firefighter training and wildfire fuel reduction effort, county officials said.

The controlled burns will be held Wednesday through Friday.

The training site sits just below Big Rock Ridge, which separates Novato from Lucas Valley.

The site is part of a privately owned H-Ranch except for a small section of the Indian Tree Open Space Preserve, which is managed by Marin County Parks.

The burns will be held in the westernmost areas of the ranch, just south of the residences off Vineyard Road. Smoke will be prevalent from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on burn days.

All the burning will be conducted in accordance with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and with other fire participating fire agencies in Marin, including the Novato Fire Protection District. Event organizers will be in daily contact with the air control district to evaluate smoke dispersal.

The prescribed burns, which will amount to about 20 acres, are part of a larger fuels management plan that builds upon work already completed by Marin County Fire’s Tamalpais Fire Crew over the past 10 years.

Local fire agencies are urging residents to create defensible space around their homes to lower occupant danger and increase the chances of saving property during a wildfire.

More information about fire safety can be found on the FIRESafe Marin website, the Marin County Fire website, the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority website, and CAL FIRE’s Ready for Wildfire website. Learn about how to prepare an emergency kit at the Ready Marin website. Residents are urged to register their contact information with Alert Marin notification system overseen by the Marin County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services.