Fire Season Ends Monday

Fire season officially comes to an end in the Mother Lode at 8 a.m Monday morning.

This comes as storms begin to drop heavy amounts of rainfall and snow throughout the Sierra Nevada foothills lowering the fire hazard and ending the summer drought conditions.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Unit Fire Chief Fred McVay says Although CDF is closing fire season, Sonora, Twain Harte, and Blanchard fire stations will remain open and staffed through the winter under contract with Tuolumne County Fire Department.

Though Northern California’s fire season was relatively mild, Southern California suffered the worst season ever in both acres burned, and loss of lives and property.

Locally, the CDF unit fought 365 wildfires which burnt 4,464 acres and cost more than $2.8 million to fight.

Burn permits will not be required now until May 1, 2004. Open burn hours are in effect on permissive burn days as declared by air pollution control.