Fire season begins Monday for most of Northern California, including areas under the protection of Cal-Fire. For the City of Redding that means mitigation permits are suspended and no backyard greenwaste burning is allowed before November. Last year Redding Fire Department responded to 171 vegetation fires, including mutual aid for the devastating fires in Butte, Sonoma and Ventura Counties where thousands of homes burned up. In the Cal-Fire jurisdiction, burning has been suspended for most areas. Last week Cal-Fire began defensible space inspections in high-risk area to be sure homeowners have cleared the vegetation around their rural homes.