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Marin County, CA – Two prescribed burns may take place this week in the Mt. Tamalpais Watershed near Bon Tempe Reservoir, west of Fairfax. The first may begin Tuesday, August 25 near Sky Oaks Ranger Station, followed by a second burn Wednesday, August 26 near Bon Tempe Reservoir. Both burns are part of a continued effort to complete critical vegetation management work on the mountain. 

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 will manage the prescribed fire operations in coordination with Marin Water who manages the watershed lands where the burns will occur. The first burn is planned for the area south of Sky Oaks Ranger station between Bullfrog Road and Bon Tempe Road and may cover up to 79 acres. The second burn is planned for the Pine Point area adjacent to the Bon Tempe Reservoir between Pine Point Trail and Forman Trail and may cover up to 44 acres. The prescribed burns may continue for additional days, if needed, to complete work in the planned areas. 

During the potential upcoming burn operations, the Bon Tempe Parking lot, Bon Tempe Road and Bon Tempe Channel Road North will be closed. 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. Visitors are required to heed the closure signs.

The dates and size of the planned burn activity are tentative, 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. If planners decide to change the burn date based on key fire behavior factors, Marin County Fire and Marin Water will update local media and the public through both agencies’ social media channels, including Facebook, X, Instagram, and Nextdoor. 

An SMS notification will also be sent to AlertMarin subscribers who have opted in to receive prescribed burn informational notices. To update your AlertMarin settings to receive these communications, visit Emergency.MarinCounty.gov, click “sign up for emergency alerts,” log in to your AlertMarin account and select “Prescribed Burns.” Details about prescribed burns can also be found on the County of Marin Emergency Portal.

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. The burns 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 burns.


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.