A Yucca Mesa resident burning weeds in the back yard found that the blaze quickly spread and firefighters were needed to contain the blaze. About 10:15, firefighters from Yucca Valley, Yucca Mesa, and Joshua Tree were called to the 3500 block of Lucerne Vista for a vegetation fire. Crews arrived and found a blaze burning an approximate spot of 50 by 50 feet behind the home. County Fire Battalion Chief Mike McClintock said that while there was only a slight breeze, the fact that the blaze spread so quickly and so readily highlights the fact that even with just a small breeze, a grass fire will spread very easily. Residents who wish to burn must first obtain a fire permit from their local fire stations, but McClintock cautions residents that the county fire marshal has suspended all burn permits in the county, to include in Yucca Valley and Twentynine Palms as of 6 a.m. June 1. For more information, contact your local fire station.
Covered barbeques as well as recreational fires fueled solely by natural gas or propane are exempt from this suspension. Cooking fires of any type are permissible under permit only when NO alternate means of cooking are available. Open fires conducted in the course of filming, public fireworks displays, or ceremonial events are exempt if properly permitted and conducted by a licensed professional, or other responsible person, when the attending fire department Fire Safety Officer determines that local climactic conditions are safe. Residential burning of trash, yard clippings and tree trimmings are ALWAYS prohibited in the Mountain and Valley areas, regardless of conditions. Regardless of location or permit conditions, ALL open fires (except for fires fueled solely by natural gas or propane) must be extinguished during Red Flag or Fire Weather Watch Conditions, when local winds exceed 10 miles per hour or when directed by Fire Department personnel. Please check with CalFire within State Responsibility Areas, the United States Forest Service (USFS) within the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests, or the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) within outlying desert regions for additional restrictions and permitting requirements. Unlawful fires may result in administrative or legal action against the person kindling the fire and/or the owner of the property on which the fire occurs.
