The Bakersfield Californian

Firefighters conduct prescribed burn

BY NICK SMIRNOFF

Smoke was in the air and a line of slow-moving flames was seen as 90 Kern County firefighters conducted a prescribed burn along Highway 223 near Bakersfield National Cemetery on Wednesday evening.

A 3-mile section of land running parallel to the highway was safely burned, reducing the fuel load and creating a barrier between the road and the mountains.

Fuel load reduction is a primary method of lessening the impact of roadside fires when they do occur.

“Prescribed burns are a tool used by Kern County Fire to treat an area through the reduction of vegetation. These burns, or use of heavy equipment such as bulldozers, increases public

safety and can greatly lessen the spread of road-side

fires,” said Kern County Fire Department Public

Information Officer Andrew Freeborn.

All too often roadside fires in Kern County are by caused by a carelessly tossed cigarette. Dragging trailer chains, creating sparks, also cause roadside fires.

By pre-creating this narrow strip of noncombustible land, these “fire breaks” can lessen the impact should a fire start.

Additional prescribed burns are possible along roadways. The public is asked to proceed slowly through these areas as firefighters and equipment work close to traffic. Assisting agencies were Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol.

Freeborn wants to remind the public that the June 1 fire clearance deadline for property owners is but a few weeks away.

NATURAL SIGHTINGS

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2022-05-11T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-05-11T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://bakersfield.pressreader.com/article/281741273011708

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