Cal Fire will conduct a prescribed burn in Idyllwild this week.
About 125 piles of brush and slash will be burned, located at Camp Maranatha at 54162 Maranatha Drive. The area is between the camp and the Idyllwild Nature Center, according to Division Chief Bill Weiser.
The burn will be between Tuesday, Feb. 2, and Friday, Feb. 5. Actual time and date is subject to approval from the Southern California Air Quality Management District and to the weather.
The Idyllwild Fire Department will assist Cal Fire during the burn, Weiser said. “Chief [Patrick] Reitz said he would help. It’s more staff and good training for their newer people."
The burn is part of the Cal Fire Vegetation Management program and will reduce hazardous vegetation and wildland fuels in this area, which is considered to be at high risk for large wildfires.
The Cal Fire press release states, “Residents in the Idyllwild, Pine Cove and surrounding mountain communities or anyone traveling on State Highway 243 may see smoke form 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the days of the burn.
“In the unlikely event you smell smoke, county officials urge you to take precautions and use common sense to reduce any harmful health effects by limiting outdoor activities,” Cal Fire added in the release.
For more information and questions, contact the Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department Public Affairs Bureau at 951-940-6985.