AGRICULTURAL BURNING
Burning of brush, grove limbs, and other discarded agricultural vegetation may be disposed by burning on site only for agricultural reasons provided the following guidelines are met:
Before Burning:
- A Burn Permit is obtained and current. These are easy to get through Red Mt. CDF Station (Dec-May) and the De Luz CDF Station (Jun-Nov) between 8am-5pm.
Burning without a permit is a misdemeanor offensive with a fine of $2,500 or more. You will appear before a Judge as several of our neighbors have already discovered.
- Burn piles MUST have water availability at the site, with hoses capable of reaching all sides of the pile.
- Piles should:
- Not be more than 8 feet tall.
- Have bare ground 30 feet in radius around pile.
- Have NO lumber, trash, chemicals in it, only vegetation.
*Burn Permits run for two weeks and must be renewed after expiration.
On the day of the burning:
After 8am, call the CDF Station number to see if it is a "Burn Day" as announced daily by the EPA. Give them your Permit number and location.
Call North County Fire Dept. 723-2005 to announce that you will be burning. Give them your permit number and location.
Call De Luz Vol. Fire Dept 728-3300. Give permit number and location.
*You need to call all these numbers to assure no fire engine will mistakenly arrive "code-3" at your site.
Needed items:
- Shovel and rake.
- Long enough garden hose and nozzle to reach all around pile.
- If you have a cell phone or cordless phone that will work from the site, this would be helpful. 2.4GHz cordless phones are the best; some have ranges up to ½ mile from the house. 900MHz are only good for about 200-300 feet.
- Wear long sleeve cotton shirt and long pants, gloves, a ball cap, a bandana. Cover as much skin as possible to prevent burns from the radiant heat and flying embers.
- It is best to have at least two (2) people at a burn site
How to Burn:
- Control intensity of the burn. If the pile is real dry, light it near the top and on the down wind side. This will allow for a more gradual burn. Use the garden hose to keep the flame height low. Spray short bursts into the seat or bottom of the flame. Best to keep the flame height below 6-8 feet. At this low-moderate intensity, a one ton 10X10X8 foot pile can be completed in less than one hour.
- Never leave the pile unattended. The wind could kick-up in an instant and send igniting embers nearby.
- Be aware of the wind conditions. If the wind becomes stronger than 15mph locally, stop burning and extinguish the pile completely.
- Totally extinguish the pile by 3pm during non-fire season Dec-May, and 10am Jun-Nov as instructed by the burn permit. It’s best to check it again after dark to assure no hot embers remain.
AG Burning is not hard, but you must be safety-minded at all time. If the fire gets away from you and catches nearby brush on fire, you may be held liable for damages and fire fighting costs. A Helo or fire bomber costs about $1,500 - $3,000 an hour in the air. In 1997, a neighbor was fined $23,000 for fire fighting costs, and there were no aircraft involved on this 7-acre fire. Play it Safe!!! Obey the Rules.
If you need advise on a burn pile, call our station and we’ll come out and look at it for free.
We can even burn it for you with a fire engine and crew. Click here for pictures of AG Burn, then Ask Chief Manchor about the details.
