Don't Call 911: Planned Burns Set For Arastradero Preserve Thursday

Written by Rob Klindt

As the summer fires season nears, local fire department officials are planning two controlled burns Thursday in the Enid W. Pearson Arastradero Preserve to reduce the potential for wildfire. 

Both burns will start around 9 a.m. and cover between seven and nine acres. Palo Alto Fire Department will conduct the burns with assistance from other City of Palo Alto Departments, CalFire and other Santa Clara County fire departments.

Commuters and hills residents should anticipate a smoke column blowing over Interstate Highway 280 during the burns. The Palo Alto Fire Department recommends that people stay indoors and avoid the area from Alpine Road to Page Mill Road and Highway 280 to Skyline Boulevard on Thursday. 

In a Twitter posting on Wednesday, Palo Alto Police emphasized that it’s not necessary for people to call 911 if they see smoke from the prescribed burn over I-280. 

As required, Palo Alto has submitted a smoke abatement plan and is conducting the burn at a time that will minimize the effects of the smoke to the area. The smoke is expected to dissipate quickly as the fuel should burn fast and as clean as possible at this time of year. 

A statement released by Chris Woodard, Battalion Chief at the Palo Alto Fire Department, described prescribed burns as one of the most effective tools for restoring healthy ecosystems and meeting desired resource outcomes, while avoiding the environmental damage that can be caused by an unplanned wild land fire. 

Managed fires such as these are used to reduce wildfire risks and benefit natural resources by thinning overgrown vegetation. A prescribed fire is only allowed under specific conditions, depending upon available resources, time of year, weather and desired results. 

These measures are used to prevent devastating fires like the Oakland Hills Fire of 1991 or the Liddecoat Fire of 1984. This burn was a recommendation made by an outside expert through the Foothills Fire Management Plan that was approved by the City Council in 2009.