Smoke in Berkeley? Controlled burn underway on Angel Island
Cal Fire's Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit has been sharing updates about the operation. A Spare the Air alert has been issued for Wednesday.
Berkeley residents have been smelling smoke all day due to a controlled burn on Angel Island.
Cal Fire's Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit has been sharing updates about the operation all day.
The prescribed burn resulted in moderate air quality on Tuesday, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District's "Spare the Air" map.
A Spare the Air alert has been issued for Wednesday.
"Among the habitat improvement objectives of the project is to restore fire to the oak woodland forest areas, reduce the buildup of dead and down trees and enhance native perennial grass cover while reducing non-native species," Cal Fire wrote in a Facebook post.
"State Parks has previously conducted pile burning operations in multiple years since 2021 with support from Marin County Fire. However, broadcast burns have not occurred here since the mid-1990s."
The operation brought 110 people to Angel Island to conduct Tuesday's prescribed burn.
"There are eight fire engines of varying types, three hand crews, one water tender, several water holding tanks and a CAL FIRE Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) team on site that will be conducting aerial ignitions to assist with burning operations."
Angel Island controlled burn: What to Expect
• Smoke may be visible to Bay Area residents and travelers on nearby highways
• The park and campgrounds will remain open during the burn
• Some trails and roads near burn areas may be temporarily closed for public safety. This includes portions of the Ida Trail, Sunset Trail and the park’s fire and perimeter roads.
• Access to the Mt. Livermore summit may be restricted
Learn more on the Angel Island State Park website.
