San Rafael, CA – Mild periods of rain are predicted in Marin County over the next few days, so the chief of the Marin County Fire Department is lifting a ban on agricultural open burning as of January 3.
The local ban on open burning included a prohibition on controlled burns managed by our own firefighters.Back on December 14, Chief Jason Weber had installed the indefinite suspension of open burning after a National Weather Service warning for high winds and a local Fire Weather Watch because of unusually dry weather.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) sometimes suspends all open burning, including in fireplaces, with its Spare the Air Days because of predicted poor air quality. A BAAQMD suspension on burning supercedes any suspension by a fire official, so it is Marin County Fire policy to notify anybody intending on an open burn to contact the BAAQMD before burning to make sure it’s allowable from an air quality standpoint.
Open burning includes agricultural burning and controlled burning of debris piles for fire fuels reduction. Outdoor wood stoves and fire pits that are 3 feet in diameter or less are legal to use for cooking or warming as long as it’s not a Spare the Air Day.
Follow the air quality district’s Spare the Air warnings on its website. Learn more about fire safety at Fire Safe Marin website and at www.marincountyfire.org.