(LAMORINDA, Calif.) Firefighters plan controlled burns on the John Muir Land Trust Painted Rock property in Moraga on Tuesday and Wednesday.
According to Patch, residents in the Rheem Valley, Carrol Ranch, Bella Vista and Buckingham Drive neighborhoods can expect to see smoke between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. both days.
Moraga-Orinda Fire District firefighters will be guided by a strict "go, no go" checklist along with continued cooperation with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the Fire Weather Forecasters at the National Weather Service.
Drivers in the area can expect reduced visibility along Moraga Road and Rheem Boulevard.
This comes after Contra Costa County went under a wind advisory Monday as gusts reached up to 50 mph in some areas of the foothills. Officials have warned about the possibility of increased winds and dry conditions ahead of this summer. Prescribed burns, at times a controversial policy, have become more prevalent as municipalities and firefighters look for effective ways to combat these continued dry conditions.
Prometheus Fire Consulting, a private company in San Jose that specializes in controlled burns, noted an uptick in requests ahead of this expected dry summer. Phillip Dye, the company's CEO, told NBC Bay Area that the majority of the work that they do is for private landowners and that this year, requests for his company have doubled.
This reflects growing support for prescribed burns as a means of mitigating the possibility of wildfire, taking a proactive approach rather than dealing with the fires once they break out.
In late May, Democrats in the state Senate looked to advance a 10-bill package that would boost firefighter training, tighten new housing development restrictions and promote more prescribed burns.