MODULE 4 Burning Safety
Burning Safely
The following are CalFire and the U.S. Forest Service’s tips for burning safely:
- Choose a safe site.
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- A safe site will be far away from power lines, overhanging limbs, buildings, automobiles, and equipment. It will have vertical clearance at least three times the height of the pile, as heat from the fire extends far past the actual flames that you see. It will have horizontal clearance twice the height of the debris pile.
- Clear all flammable material and vegetation within 10-feet of the outer edge of pile. Keep the surrounding area watered down during the burn.
- Keep a water supply close to the burning site.
- An adult should be in attendance with a shovel until the fire is out.
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- Stay with your fire until it is completely out. To ensure the fire has been completely extinguished, drown the fire with water, turn over the ashes with a shovel and drown it again. Repeat several times. Check the burn area regularly over the next several days and up to several weeks following the burn, especially if the weather is warm, dry, and windy.
No burning shall be undertaken unless weather conditions (particularly wind) are such that burning can be considered safe. Weather fluctuations, such as sudden gusts of wind, could make debris burning spark a wildfire. Call your local fire department the day you plan to burn debris to finalize that the weather is safe enough to burn.
This completes the Burning Safety module.
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