Latest prescribed burn by Marin County Fire produces large plume of smoke over Novato
NOVATO -- The third day of prescribed burns in Marin County created a large plume of smoke that was visible from miles away Friday, but so far there were no reports of major impacts to air quality outside of the immediate area.
The burn was part of the Marin County Fire Department's continued wildfire prevention work that had been planned for September but was delayed due to unfavorable weather conditions.
Friday's burn was happening in the area of Big Rock Ridge. Planners advised locals that smoke would be visible to anyone in or near Novato and the northern San Rafael areas of Lucas Valley, Marinwood, Terra Linda and Santa Venetia. Travelers on Highway 101 can expect to be within view as well.
Authorities asked that community refrain from calling 9-1-1 when they see or smell smoke from the burn area.
While the smoke could be seen from a number of vantage points in San Francisco and the East Bay, air quality around San Francisco Bay was mostly in the yellow "moderate" range as of Friday afternoon.
A prescribed burn Thursday morning in China Camp State Park ended up producing a haze of smoke that hung over San Francisco Bay and had a far more noticeable impact on the air.
While a Spare the Air Alert was not issued, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District posted about the impact the burn was having on the area shortly before 4 p.m.
The 100+ acre operation is part of Marin County Fire's continued fire fuel reduction effort. This week's series of prescribed burns push the department's multi-year fire-abatement project forward.
People can find the latest air quality readings in their part of the region by visiting:
AirNow - fire.airnow.gov
IQAir - www.iqair.com
Bay Area Air Quality Management District - baaqmd.gov
Northern Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District - nosocoair.org/
Purple Air - purpleair.com