USFS halts 2,500-acre prescribed burn in San Bernardino National Forest

A controlled burn slated to eliminate 2,500 acres of overgrowth in the San Bernardino National Forest near Anza was halted due to a change in conditions that made further burning unsafe, officials said today.

"The project was not continued after temperatures and air quality standards were not suitable for consecutive burn days,'' according to a statement released by the U.S. Forest Service. "Without the ability to start fires according to the firing plan, the project would have become an unsafe ... activity for fire personnel."  

The prescribed burn, which began on Monday morning, focused around 6,825-foot Thomas Mountain, south of Lake Hemet and just west of Highway 74. It was analogous to an operation that occurred last summer, in which about 2,500 acres was also eliminated by the San Jacinto Ranger District.

There were plans to continue the current burn for at least 10 days, but on Wednesday, rangers determined that rising temperatures -- the National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Warning beginning Friday for the nearby Coachella Valley -- and related factors made the procedure untenable.   

"The work required fires to be set intentionally in a pattern that has been pre-planned and meets the project's objectives,'' the Forest Service said. "If ignitions cannot be started according to plan, the prescribed fire becomes an unacceptable safety hazard."  

Officials said federal fire personnel are now mopping up hot spots, after which they'll clear the area. There was no word on when the operation, which is intended to clear dead and excess vegetation that could provide fuel for wildfires, might resume.

Additional information is available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/sbnf/.