Marin County, CA – Plans are underway for a prescribed burn that may take place as early as Thursday, August 14, near Bon Tempe Lake on Mount Tamalpais. Burn planners ask the Marin County community to refrain from calling 9-1-1 to report smoke from the burn area allowing dispatchers to remain available for emergencies.
The Marin County Fire Department will manage the prescribed fire operations in coordination with Marin Water, which manages the watershed lands where the burn will occur. The burn is planned for along the northern side of Bon Tempe Lake adjacent to a portion of Sky Oaks Road and Bon Tempe Road and may cover up to 64 acres. A prescribed burn treatment was applied to a total of 40 acres just east of the same area on July 1. This upcoming effort is the second phase of critical vegetation management work in the area.
During the burn operation, Bon Tempe parking lot will be closed and a portion of Bon Tempe Road will be closed. Sky Oaks Road will remain open but may be subject to short delays due to smoke and temporary lane closures as fire engines patrol the adjacent burn perimeter. All of Sunnyside Trail and Bon Tempe Dam Trail will be closed. Visitors are required to heed the closure signs.
The date and size of the planned burn activity are tentative, as all burn operations are dependent on favorable weather, fuel conditions, and air quality to ensure safe execution and minimize smoke impacts on the surrounding communities. If planners decide to change the burn date based on key fire behavior factors, Marin County Fire and Marin Water will update local media and the public through both agencies’ social media channels, including Facebook, X, Instagram, and Nextdoor.
An SMS notification will also be sent to AlertMarin subscribers who have opted in to receive prescribed burn informational notices. To update your AlertMarin settings to receive these communications, visit Emergency.MarinCounty.gov, click “sign up for emergency alerts,” log in to your AlertMarin account and then select the “Prescribed Burns” box. Details about prescribed burns can also be found on the County of Marin Emergency Portal.
Although operations will strictly adhere to the requirements of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the surrounding community may smell or see smoke. Community members should refrain from calling 9-1-1 to report this smoke to avoid overwhelming emergency dispatch lines.
This multi-agency effort wields an important tool in a proactive approach to fire fuel management and a more resilient, ecologically healthy forest and watershed. Prescribed burns are part of the stewardship of biodiverse, fire-adapted ecosystems and are carefully planned to meet strict criteria for ecological benefit, weather parameters, smoke management, and fire safety guidelines.
Funding to support this important work is provided in part by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Forest Health Program. The burn will be performed by Marin County firefighters, and active patrols and mop-up of the area will continue for at least several hours following the burn.