See smoke and flames in SLO’s Irish Hills? Here’s what’s going on
A prescribed burn is planned for Tuesday near the Irish Hills Open Space area off Prefumo Canyon Road in San Luis Obispo.
The burn is scheduled to take place between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
“Fire crews will attempt to complete the burning operation in one day due to the forecasted weather window and to help minimize smoke impacts,” San Luis Obispo officials wrote in a news release. “If conditions are not suitable for optimal smoke dispersal, the burn will be rescheduled.”
The prescribed burn will help reduce the threat and severity of wildfires, according to city officials, and will also aid in restoring natural ecosystem processes.
The San Luis Obispo City Fire Department will conduct the work in cooperation with Cal Fire. The San Luis Obispo County Fire Safe Council and the Air Pollution Control District of San Luis Obispo County.
“The Irish Hills Open Space presents a significant wildfire threat to the city of San Luis Obispo due to its proximity to homes and businesses and the lack of any significant recorded fire history,” San Luis Obispo Fire Chief Keith Aggson said in the release. “The fuel, or vegetation, density in this area had long remained unchecked until the recent grant-funded fuel break work that was completed under the direction of the SLO County Fire Safe Council utilizing grant funding provided by the state.”
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According to city officials, the timing of the planned burn takes into account several factors.
Those include “recent measurable rain to ensure the fuel surrounding moisture levels are elevated, wind forecasts and the availability of fire department resources,” the release said. “These considerations are needed to help ensure the burn can be completely safely and quickly to limit the potential impacts of smoke in the community.”
“We appreciate residents’ understanding of this operation and will do everything we can to reduce the potential impact to the community,” Aggson added. “These efforts ultimately help protect San Luis Obispo’s much-loved open space areas and will significantly decrease the wildfire threat to our City.”
Recently, the fire department completed the city’s first Community Wildfire Protection Plan and provided preparedness resources to the community including a Ready Set Go plan.
For more information, go to slocity.org/wildfire and follow the San Luis Obispo City Fire Department on Twitter and Instagram.
For more information on current air quality and ways to reduce your exposure to smoke, visit the Air Pollution Control District’s website at www.slocleanair.org.
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