Another wet winter with a lot of rainfall interspersed with sunshine has created a huge crop of seasonal grasses in Northern California, and very soon all that grass will be dead and ready to burst into flames. Cal-Fire Chief Ken Pimlott says those grasses will serve as a fuse for the heavier vegetation still suffering the lasting effects of a five year drought. All burn permits are being suspended for the protection area of the Cal-Fire Shasta-Trinity Unit, as well as the Tehama-Glenn Unit. The ban includes burning any materials and includes all areas, including high elevation areas that have been previously exempted from the ban. Since the start of the year Cal-Fire has responded to more than 1800 wildfires statewide. Agriculture, land management, and other industrial-type burns are allowed with a special permit from Cal-Fire. The residential ban goes into effect Monday morning. Residents are urged to find ways to clear 100 feet of defensible space around their homes without the use of metal bladed tools. The work should be done before 10AM. Tips on fire prevention can be found at readyforwildfire.org.