Angel Island burn of up to 260 acres is underway; smoke visible this week
Smoke is visible off Angel Island this week, and residents who see it are being asked not to call 911.
California State Parks, Cal Fire and the Marin County Fire Department began the prescribed burn of up to 260 acres at Angel Island State Park on Sept. 8. Ignitions are to continue through the week as conditions permit.
Smoke is expected across the peninsula from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on burn days and for up to three days after ignitions.
The burn targets potential wildfire fuel loads in island grasslands and coastal scrub and is paid for through Proposition 4, the climate bond voters approved in 2024. State Parks also lists invasive-plant management and wildlife habitat improvement among its goals.
Burn days are cleared through the Bay Area Air District, and the operation is called off and rescheduled if wind, humidity or fuel moisture won’t carry the smoke away from surrounding communities. While the burn was underway, the district issued a Spare the Air alert for today, Sept. 9 — for ozone rather than smoke — forecasting the worst air inland, in its Eastern Zone and the Santa Clara Valley.
State Parks burned vegetation piles on the island in late January under the same program and said at the time it might conduct more burns in February.
The park remains open, but portions of the Ida Trail, the Sunset Trail and the park’s fire and perimeter roads close during the burn and for as long as three days afterward. Crews will also bar the summit of Mount Livermore on some burn days.