Just because it’s November on Wednesday, that doesn’t mean it’s ok to fire up the backyard burn piles. Redding Fire Department is suspending the start of burning season due to the lack of rain. The ban will continue until the fire chief declares an end to fire season. When burning does become legal in Redding, burn permits will still be required, but now they’ll be free. The permits had cost $9 but that cast has been eliminated. A permit is still required to be in hand when burning. Chief Gerry Gray says that’s because it makes it more likely that people will at least read the rules before burning. The burn ban has also been extended for areas under Cal-Fire protection in the Shasta-Trinity Unit and the Tehama-Glenn Unit, however the Siskiyou Unit of Cal-Fire is lifting their ban on residential burning Friday.
With many many thousands of blackened acres of forest still burning, the U.S. Forest Service is lifting fire restrictions. The easing of rules applies to the Shasta-Trinity, the Klamath, the Six Rivers, and the Mendocino National Forests. Forest visitors with California Campfire Permits may now have open campfires outside of designated campgrounds. Permits can be acquired for free from any office of the Forest Service, BLM, or Cal-Fire.