Peak fire season ends Monday in some Bay Area counties

Courtesy: Twitter account @CAL_FIRE

Peak fire season will end Monday in Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa and the western ends of Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, Cal Fire said Friday.

Recent rains and cooler temperatures across the region have lowered the threat of wildfires, so Cal Fire's Santa Clara unit will transition out of peak fire season as of 8 a.m. on Monday, the agency announced.

Regardless of this news, residents still have a responsibility to continue to be fire safe, Cal Fire Santa Clara Unit Chief Derek Witmer said.

Residents should service home heating systems, test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors and clean chimneys and stove pipes, according to Witmer.

Cal Fire will continue to maintain staffing to meet any potential threat, the agency said, as well as maintaining the ability to move resources to areas with a higher level of threat.

Also effective Monday, burn permit suspensions will be lifted in the abovementioned five areas, Cal Fire said. 

This means that people with current, valid agriculture and residential burn permits can resume burning on permissible burn days, according to Cal Fire.

Until the end of peak fire season, which is Monday, Cal Fire must inspect agriculture burns before burning.

Burn permit suspensions have been lifted in Sonoma, Lake, Napa, Solano, Yolo and Colusa counties. Two of these counties, Sonoma and Napa, bore the brunt of the devastating North Bay wildfires in October.

However, many guidelines remain in effect for these six counties, according to Sonoma County's Fire and Emergency Services Department.

Those with current and valid agriculture and residential burn permits can resume burning on permissible burn days. However, Cal Fire must inspect any burns larger than 4-foot-by-4-foot piles, other than agricultural burns, before burning.

In light of the recent fires, residents are asked to use caution while conducting burns, follow all guidelines and maintain control of the fire at all times.

"Many area residents are faced with removing vegetation that was damaged during the fires," Sonoma County Fire Marshal James Williams said in a statement. "Please consult a professional before cutting trees, and make sure burning is done safely."