Smoke Notice: Paradise - Oak Creek Park Broadcast Burn Project

To reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire, protect homes, and restore healthy fire ecology, the Butte County Fire Safe Council (BCFSC) is grateful that conditions may allow a 17-acre broadcast burn to move forward at Oak Creek Park in Paradise on Monday, November 9. The burn will be conducted by the Terra Fuego Resource Foundation, with support from CAL FIRE Butte Unit.

Burn at a Glance

Ignitions: Monday, November 9. The exact ignition time will be confirmed pending air quality approval.
Location: Oak Creek Park, Paradise, off Pearson Rd. between Pentz Rd. and Sawmill Rd.
Size: About 17 acres of dense understory regrowth in an area that burned in the 2018 Camp Fire
Partners: Terra Fuego Resource Foundation (conducting the burn) and CAL FIRE Butte County
Smoke: Visible from the Town of Paradise, Magalia, and Butte Valley. Most smoke should clear by Monday evening.

What to Expect from Smoke

Where smoke will go: Smoke will be visible from the Town of Paradise, Magalia, and Butte Valley. Light, short-lived smoke is likely along Pearson Rd. between Pentz Rd. and Sawmill Rd. and nearby neighborhoods.
How we limit smoke: Firefighters will conduct a small test burn before the operation to determine likely smoke conditions. Only then will they begin burning. BCFSC and our partners work closely with the Butte County Air Quality Management District (BCAQMD) to minimize smoke impacts.
Overnight: Light smoke may settle in low areas and drainages overnight and in the early morning. This is expected and should lift by mid-morning.
Lingering smoke: Logs and stumps inside the unit may smolder lightly for several days, and crews will be diligently monitoring.

Go/No-Go and Day-of Updates

BCAQMD updates burn status every morning at 8:45 a.m. At approximately 9:30 a.m., once the operation is confirmed to fall within burn day allowances, the decision will be made to start. Start times may vary due to local weather conditions.

On the day of the burn, we will post updates on Facebook and Instagram (@buttefiresafe), or you can call our office at (530) 877-0984.

If You're Sensitive to Smoke

If you're sensitive to smoke (asthma, COPD, heart conditions, older adults, children, pregnancy): keep windows closed, run an air purifier or set your HVAC to recirculate, and limit outdoor activity while smoke is present. Check live air quality at fire.airnow.gov.

Free HEPA air purifiers may be available through BCAQMD's Breathe Safe Butte program. Call us before the burn if you need help.

Download the full Press Release (PDF)

Project Map

Funding for this project has been provided by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, an agency of the State of California, through the California Budget Act of 2021 (Section 77), Wildfire Recovery and Forest Resilience.

Questions or Smoke Concerns

Before the day of the burn, please call our office at (530) 877-0984. Our staff will be happy to help determine whether smoke may affect you and how to address any concerns. Please don't call 911 for smoke from this burn.

Why This Burn Matters

What this unit protects: This project is designed to help protect evacuation routes for the Town of Paradise and to support community wildfire safety for the Town of Paradise and Paradise Ridge.

Past work: This unit burned at high severity in the 2018 Camp Fire. The unit was grazed to prepare it for prescribed fire. This burn targets the dense understory that has regrown since then and helps restore healthy fire ecology.

Funding and Approvals

This project is funded by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy as part of larger landscape-scale forest health and fuel reduction projects under the direction of the Butte County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) and the Butte County Fire Plan. Permits and approvals are in place with CAL FIRE and BCAQMD, and crews will be using an approved burn plan.

Additional beneficial fire projects may take place as conditions allow. We share project updates on our social media channels and appreciate your help spreading the word to keep our community informed.

Thank you for supporting beneficial fire as we work toward safer, healthier landscapes for our communities.