QUINCY, CA - Prescribed burning in the Butterfly Valley area on the Mount Hough Ranger District of the Plumas National Forest has stopped due to weather and fuel conditions.

Fire managers were hoping to treat 61 acres yesterday [April 4] but were only able to accomplish 15 acres because weather and fuel conditions changed and moved outside planned prescription criteria.

It was determined that due to a combination of factors, including increasing temperatures, winds and drying fuels, conditions were not ideal to continue burning and would not improve this week.

Today [April 5] firefighters are back in the Butterfly Valley area to secure the 15 acres treated yesterday.

"Public and firefighter safety is always our highest priority, including during prescribed burning activities," said Mount Hough District Fuels Technician Dan Patterson. "The ongoing fuel reduction work in Butterfly Valley is important, but once conditions were outside of prescription, it was necessary to stop under burning."