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With PG&E Shutoffs Looming, Why Are Agencies Doing Prescribed Burns?

GROVELAND (CBS13) — The windy weather may leave thousands of PG&E customers in the dark, but some fire agencies still have controlled burns on the schedule.

Cal Fire worked a prescribed burn of 350 acres on the Crook Ranch Vegetation Management Plan Monday.

The idea is to eliminate vegetation that could serve as fuel for a potential fire, and more prescribed burns were planned in the coming days. This comes as 16 counties prepare to lose power again as part of PG&E's Public Safety Power Shutoff program.

Prescribed burns have been getting more attention. Earlier this month, the Caples Fire, a prescribed burn by the U.S. Forest Service turned into a wildfire when fire and wind conditions worsened. It happened during the PG&E planned outages, but it was started 10 days prior.

"Certainly we've had prescribed fires that we struggle to control and we've had power outages...I don't know that we've seen them together," El Dorado National Forest Supervisor Laurence Crabtree said.

So why does Cal Fire do prescribed burns in the fall, when the fire danger is high? Fire officials say it is the right time to conduct these prescribed burns because it's near the end of fire season, temperatures and humidity are moderate, and there is less of an impact on air quality.

CBS13 also asked how the agency determines when to cancel a prescribed burn. They said they have a meteorologist they consult with who will decide whether wind conditions are just right and will delay or cancel burns deemed too dangerous.

A prescribed burn in Calaveras County scheduled for Tuesday was postponed due to weather conditions. Another planned for Sardella Ranch in Tuolumne County is being closely monitored.

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