June 26, 2025

Marin County, CA – Plans are underway for a prescribed burn that may take place in the coming days on Marin Water’s Watershed lands on Mount Tamalpais. Burn planners ask the community to refrain from calling 9-1-1 to report smoke from the burn area allowing dispatchers to remain available for emergencies.  

The Marin County Fire Department, in coordination with Marin Water, will manage the prescribed fire operations, which may occur as early as next Tuesday, July 1 to Thursday, July 3, and will take place along the northern side of Bon Tempe Lake. The planned burn perimeter is adjacent to a portion of Sky Oaks Road and Sunnyside Trail and may cover up to approximately 40 acres. During the burn operation, Sky Oaks Road will remain open but may be subject to short delays due to smoke and temporary lane closures as fire engines patrol the adjacent burn perimeter. All of Sunnyside Trail will be closed. Visitors are required to heed the closure signs. 

The date and actual size of the planned burn activity are tentative at this time, as all burn operations are dependent on favorable weather, fuel conditions and air quality to ensure safe execution and minimize smoke impacts on the surrounding communities. Marin County Fire and Marin Water will announce the specific date of the burn operation the morning of ignition after evaluating these important factors influencing fire behavior. This announcement will be sent to local news media contacts and published to the County of Marin Emergency Portal and both agencies’ social media accounts, including Facebook, X, Instagram and Nextdoor. 

Although operations will strictly adhere to the requirements of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the surrounding community may smell or see smoke. Community members should refrain from calling 9-1-1 to report this smoke to avoid overwhelming emergency dispatch lines. 

This multi-agency effort wields an important tool in a proactive approach to fire fuel management and a more resilient, ecologically healthy forest and watershed. Prescribed burns are part of the stewardship of biodiverse, fire-adapted ecosystems and are carefully planned to meet strict criteria for ecological benefit, weather parameters, smoke management, and fire safety guidelines. Funding to support this important work is provided in part by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Forest Health Program. The burn will be performed by Marin County firefighters, and active patrols and mop-up of the area will continue for at least several hours following the burn. 

Marin County Fire may coordinate more controlled burn operations with Marin Water this year as the agencies work to bolster the resiliency of wildland areas. The agencies will inform the surrounding community before any controlled burn operation is undertaken.