See smoke in SLO County today? Here’s where it’s coming from

You don’t not need to call the fire department if you see smoke in the hills near Avila Beach today — they are already there.

Cal Fire is conducing a prescribed burn on 276 acres of land owned by PG&E near the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant Friday, according to Cal Fire Battalion Chief Paul Lee.

The burns will be conducted from 9:45 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will potentially continue on Saturday, according to a Cal Fire news release.

Lee said the fires are being done in connection with other vegetation management projects that Cal Fire has been conducting in the area.

Smoke will be visible from Avila Beach to Cayucos and may linger for as long as three days after the burn.

Lee said more prescribed burns may follow later in the month depending on rain.

A separate prescribed burn is expected near Camp Roberts, according to emergency response app PulsePoint. Smoke from that may also be visible from Highway 101.

This story was originally published December 15, 2023 at 10:00 AM.