Cal Fire to suspend burn permits in San Diego County
Cal Fire is banning backyard burns across San Diego County starting May 1 because this year’s grass is too lush and fire season is arriving early, yet the state has already fought 840 wildfires since January.
Cal Fire will halt all residential outdoor burn permits in San Diego County beginning at 8 a.m. on May 1, citing heavy vegetation growth, climbing temperatures, dropping humidity, and the region’s notorious seasonal winds.
The move, announced Thursday, covers burning of branches, leaves, and other landscape debris. Chief Tony Mecham framed it as essential: “With the continued trend of earlier and more intense fire seasons, suspending burn permits is a crucial step to safeguard our communities and resources during this critical period.”
Yet the suspension arrives against a backdrop of 840 wildfires already answered by California firefighters since Jan. 1. The department will still allow restricted temporary permits for legitimate public-health and safety needs, and agricultural, land-management, or training burns can continue after Cal Fire inspection and special permitting.
Instead of burning, residents are told to create 100 feet of defensible space around every structure, clear dead vegetation, plant fire-resistant species, and haul debris to biomass facilities or green-waste sites. Campfires in organized campgrounds or on private property remain permitted with an easily obtained permit from fire stations or ReadyForWildfire.org.
The policy underscores a recurring tension: officials preach prevention while vegetation explodes after wet winters and fire season keeps starting sooner. Homeowners lose one of the simplest tools for clearing fuel loads exactly when the state’s own statistics show the threat is already here.
What remains unclear is whether chipping, hauling, and landscaping mandates can scale fast enough to replace the burn barrel before the next Santa Ana wind event turns overlooked debris into the first big fire of 2026.
Original reporting: KPBS.
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