Controlled burn causes smoke in Mendocino County

Smoke visible in northeast Mendocino County on Friday and through the weekend will likely be the result of a deliberate, prescribed burn near Covelo.

Cal Fire planned the event to help reduce wildfire fuel, as well as to promote wildlife forage and improved habitat, officials said.

The goal for this burn is 200 acres near Round Mountain in the Mendocino National Forest, southeast of Covelo.

The fire was expected to be visible from Highway 162, with smoke potentially visible from the Covelo and Willits areas.

The state forestry and fire protection agency had scheduled the blaze for sometime between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. under its statewide Vegetation Management Program, though burning may continue through the weekend into Monday, weather permitting, Cal Fire said.

The controlled burn is part of a four-decade-old program that recognizes the natural role of fire in resource management and renewal, as well as wildfire suppression.

Fires are scheduled during periods of cool, moist, still conditions to reduce the risk of escaping flames and firefighter injury, Cal Fire said.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.