Smoke To Linger Along Highway 4 Through Next Week
Arnold, CA – A series of prescribed burns ignited in Calaveras Big Trees State Park have sent smoke billowing in the air this past week and will continue to do so next week.
The Calaveras Big Trees State Park Tire Tree Prescribe Burn was supposed to begin last month but was postponed due to the PG&E power shut-offs and instead began earlier this week, as detailed here. The next burn will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 11th in the South Grove area on the southern boundary of the park, east of Arnold in Calaveras County. State park officials in cooperation with CAL Fire will set ablaze a total of 20 acres as outlined in segments 7, 8, and 9 in the map below.
Park officials note the burn is designed to reduce ground-level fuels, creating a more fire resilient environment as well as improving the forest. The burn will continue until Wednesday, November 13th as the prescription allows, according to CAL Fire. Park officials relay that most burning will be done during daylight hours; however, some fire activity will be visible at night.
Both Highway 4 and the Walter W. Smith Parkway will remain open but may experience short delays or closures due to smoke and other hazards. Also, South Rim Road, as well as some public sites in the burn area, will be closed during fire operations. Smoke will be visible in communities along the highway including Dorrington, Big Trees Village, White Pines, Blue Lake Spring, and Arnold.
Resources assigned to the burn will consist of fire engines, fire crews, bulldozers and water tenders from the various cooperating agencies. The public is asked not to report the smoke as a wildland fire.
