Firefighters on the Plumas National Forest are asking area residents and visitors to be vigilant and help prevent wildfires, especially as the weather heats up late this week.
Temperatures are forecasted to be higher than average this Friday and Saturday, with highs predicted to be in the upper 90s in the mountains and over 100 degrees at lower elevations of the Forest.
A cold front predicted to move into the area late Sunday is expected to rapidly drop temperatures below average for the first part of next week, with more seasonable temperatures returning later next week.
These rapid changes in temperature typically bring strong, gusty winds to the area. The combination of high temperatures and strong winds can spread fire quickly, with a spark rapidly becoming a large wildfire.
“The incoming weather is a concern, especially with the summer recreation season picking up and more people visiting the Forest and local communities,” said Plumas National Forest Assistant Fire Management Officer Mitch Wilson. “We need everyone to use caution with anything that can throw a spark and help prevent wildfires this weekend and throughout the 2025 fire season.”
The Plumas National Forest has not hit the critical fire danger threshold yet to implement fire restrictions. Overall, fire danger is still relatively low across the forest. However, a spike in fire danger will occur with the increase in temperatures and winds later this week into early next week.
“This is typical for spring on the Plumas, with a short burst of early heat,” Wilson said. “The concern is the high temperatures and increasing predicted wind gusts this weekend through early next week than can spread fire quickly.”
Firefighters are increasingly responding to residential burn piles that are out of compliance or escaped.
“Our first fire for 2025 was January 21 when an unattended residential burn pile burned just over an acre, including onto National Forest System lands,” Wilson said. “Since then, we have been responding to numerous residential burn piles throughout the area, with the largest being a 15-acre wildfire.”
