Yes, that’s smoke that you smell (and see), but according to Patty Murphy of the Gold Ridge Fire Protection District, there’s no emergency. Today’s smoke comes from a controlled burn at Carrington Coast Ranch Regional Park and Open Space Preserve near Salmon Creek.
The Sebastopol Police Department put out an air quality warning on their Facebook page, noting that “Those with respiratory sensitivities should consider closing windows and doors, limiting outdoor activity, and using air filtration if available.” It also noted that “There is no known fire threat to Sebastopol at this time.”
A press release from Sonoma County Regional Parks, CAL FIRE and Sonoma County Fire District said the burn today will take place between Coleman Valley Road and the Salmon Creek Estuary, east of Highway 1. Carrington Coast Ranch Regional Park is a new regional park that is not yet open to the public.
According to the press release, “Prescribed burns are carefully planned and must meet strict criteria for ecological benefit, weather parameters, smoke management and fire safety guidelines. (The planned date is subject to last-minute changes due to these considerations.) When all conditions are met, trained wildland firefighters conduct the burn while monitoring the set criteria, fire behavior and designated fire control lines.”
The Sebastopol Times got a call from a local grape grower, who is hopping mad about the burn and is concerned he’ll lose his whole crop to smoke taint. “There are some places between Sebastopol and the coast, along Bodega Highway, that you can barely see 150, 200 feet,” he said.
Murphy said a couple of other prescribed burns are scheduled for this week, including at Jenner Headlands and Salt Point State Park—though a representative from CalFire said, like all prescribed burns, whether or not these will happen is heavily dependent on weather conditions.
If it's true that these fires happening is "heavily dependent on weather conditions," then someone should check the bloody weather forecast on a day/week like this and get a clue that smoking out half the county during an oppressive heat wave is not a good idea! Or at least scale it down so that such a large area isn't burned all at once.
I would prefer notification from the agencies involved, not a notice on Facebook. What about nixle or similar?