Controlled Burn Planned Next Week In China Camp State Park

SAN RAFAEL, CA — The Marin County Fire Department will work with California State Parks to conduct a prescribed burn next week, which will create smoke visible from neighboring communities and may impact nearby trails.

Weather permitting, the one-day burn is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 18, at China Camp State Park. The fire will require sections of the McNears Fire Trail and Oak Ridge Trail to temporarily close.

Officials warn that visitors to the state park should exercise "extreme caution" near the fire operation, and advise that neighbors should avoid calling 911 to report smoke in the area around eastern San Rafael between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

"The planned burns are part of the park's prescribed fire program for vegetation management, hazardous fuel reduction, wildlife habitat improvement and other ecological benefits," the department said Thursday. "The prescribed fire follows decades of collaborative stewardship work in the park between Marin County Fire and California State Parks."

The latest treatment is designed to preserve the park's grasslands and oak woodlands, while reducing wildfire risk for dry fuels. The latest burn builds on more than two years of work to improve conditions in the surrounding area.