Controlled burn to take place on East Camino Cielo Thursday and Friday

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – The Air Pollution Control District announced there will be a controlled burn of two to five acres on East Camino Cielo on Thursday and Friday.

APCD provided more information in the following press release:

WHAT: Burn plots of 2-5 acres of previously cut brush and excess surface fuels.

WHEN: May 16-17, if conditions are favorable. The burn window began in March and will last through the spring.

WHERE: East Camino Cielo (La Cumbre Peak)

WHY: The goal of this burn is to reduce the risk of wildfire by reducing hazardous fuels and allowing better access to firefighting operations when necessary. This burn will maintain the Camino Cielo fire break, which is part of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan and part of the Santa Barbara Mountain Communities Defense Zone. Prescribed, or planned, fires typically burn less intensely than wildfires. The burn will be conducted when the meteorological conditions are highly favorable to direct smoke away from population centers.

WHO: This prescribed burn is planned and coordinated by the Los Padres National Forest with Santa Barbara County APCD, San Luis Obispo County APCD, San Joaquin Valley APCD, Ventura County APCD, and the California Air Resources Board to minimize impacts on air quality on surrounding communities.