National Forest closure order ending days early; 5 forest to remain closed for fire danger

The U.S. Forest Service is set to end the regional closure order affecting national forests in California at the end of Wednesday.

Forest service officials announced the decision in a news release Tuesday that the forest would be opened two days prior to the original end date of Friday.

Closures will remain in place and will be extended until Sept. 22. for Los Padres, Angeles, San Bernardino, and Cleveland National Forests in Southern California. Officials said the closure is needed as hot weather and fire danger will persist.

Some national forest lands will also be closed under local closure orders in areas of ongoing wildfires to ensure public safety. This includes the Eldorado National Forest east of Sacramento, which is the site of the Caldor Fire. That closure will remain until Sept. 30, forest service officials said.

Fire restrictions will remain in place across all national forests in California, the agency said.

“We are constantly evaluating weather and fire conditions in California, as well as regional and national firefighting resources available to us so that we can ensure the safety of the public and our firefighters,” California’s Regional Forester Jennifer Eberlien said in a written statement. “Some factors are more favorable now, which is why I decided to end the regional closure order. I want to thank the public and our partners for their patience and understanding during these challenging times.”

This story was originally published September 14, 2021 at 6:24 PM with the headline "National Forest closure order ending days early; 5 forest to remain closed for fire danger."