Cal Fire plans pile burns along Empire Grade

Cal Fire has advised campus officials that state fire crews will once again burn vegetation piles they have assembled near campus, possibly as soon as next week, weather conditions permitting. 

The piles are north of the Cave Gulch neighborhood, on the ocean side of Empire Grade. Smoke is not expected to be noticeable on main campus. All piles will be extinguished before Cal Fire leaves the area. 

Pile burns are tightly controlled and typically produce less smoke than prescribed burns. However, those susceptible to smoke are advised to avoid north campus.

The pile burns are part of an effort to control vegetation on and around campus, which reduces fire risk. For more wildland fire information including campus prevention efforts, visit the UC Santa Cruz wildland fire resource page.