Due to the extreme risk of wildfire, the U.S. Forest Service is closing every national forest in California starting at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday.
With the Caldor Fire raging across the Sierra and dangerously dry conditions persisting across the state, the Forest Service issued a news release announcing the closure, citing the 6,800 wildfires and 1.7 million acres that have already burned.
The closure is expected to end on Sept. 17. Fingers crossed we get some moisture by then.
Incidentally, had it not been for Smokey Bear's extreme devotion to fire suppression, there might be less underbrush fueling fires throughout the West.