Crews Set Fires During Spring Cleaning Effort On Mt. Tam

MARIN COUNTY (CBS SF) – Crews scaled the heavily forested slopes of Mount Tam above Bon Tempe Lake Friday, setting controlled burn fires to clear out areas that have become overgrown with vegetation and pose a threat of a wildfire.

MMWD Watershed Maintenance Supervisor Carl Sanders called the operation a "fuel reduction" -- a necessary step to prepare for the summer fire season.

"We burn it this time of year, early spring while the ground is damp, the grass is green and we are least likely to start a wildfire," Sanders said.

Meanwhile, fire crews stood nearby ready to step in if a controlled burn got out of control.

The operation captured the attention of nearby hikers and mountain bikers

"Well, I've seen it go on here before," mountain biker Chris Reilly said. "Never quite to this extent. Seems to be a lot more attention to this one."

Sanders said hundreds of piles of debris would be burned before the area was deemed ready.

"We do burn all over the Mountain! We have literally hundreds of piles like the ones we have in the background here," he said.

The district has not had a major fire in the area since the 1940s so the time-tested clean out operation will continue for several more weeks.