SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — A prescribed burn that has been upgraded to wildland fire status has swelled to 2,667 acres in the El Dorado National Forest -- and has created hazy and smoky conditions in the Sacramento Valley.
What's been dubbed the Caples Fire started as a controlled burn 10 days ago, but was declared a wildland fire on Thursday due to "unfavorable weather conditions and the inability to meet previously established objectives," according to a news release.
The fire is 25% contained, and despite the fact it is no longer being classified as a controlled burn, it remains within the boundaries of the original project.
Smoke from this fire has drifted toward the Sacramento area, but as of Saturday, there have been no major air quality warnings.
The National Weather Service tweeted a loop showing the path of the smoke on Saturday.
Earlier this week, there were reports of ash falling in the Sierra Foothills.
The National Weather Service encouraged people hiking in that area to check local air quality reports and avoid strenuous activity while the burn continues.
Here's a look at the project that includes the controlled burn from a story earlier this week:
According to the US Forest Service, the Caples Ecological Restoration Project is a collaborative effort between the Eldorado National Forest, El Dorado Irrigation District and Sierra Nature Conservancy to restore fire to the Caples Creek watershed where naturally occurring wildfires started by lighting have been suppressed since 1908.
The project provides a strategic landscape-wide fuel treatment that will reduce fuel to pre-settlement conditions that will protect the chief water supply to El Dorado County, improve wildlife habitat and create defensible space to nearby communities.
The Caples Creek watershed provides a primary water supply for 110,000 people in the El Dorado Irrigation District (EID) service area and includes some of the last remaining old growth in the Eldorado National Forest.