With the debris burn suspension now lifted in Nevada County and three neighboring counties, the Division Chief with Cal Fire’s Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit, Jim Mathias, says peak fire season staffing is also dropping by about half, starting next Monday…

The burn permit suspension has gone into effect about two weeks earlier than a year ago and Mathias says there is no longer a traditional time frame for that or reducing staff…

And Mathias also says it’s still possible that the suspension could be reimposed, if there isn’t enough rain and snow this fall and winter. In the meantime, burning permits are still required and you need to check to make sure it’s a permissable burn day. Cal Fire says the wildfire season has extended, on average, an extra 72 days a year over the last decade.