Scheduled Sonoma Mountain grasslands burn postponed

Cal Fire officials announced Sunday that a plan to burn 8 acres of grasslands on Sonoma Mountain has been postponed.

The postponed fire had been planned for Monday and was part of an effort to reduce fuel loads on the mountain between Petaluma and Glen Ellen and get wildfire suppression practice doing it. Cal Fire spokeswoman Suzie Blankenship said they expect to reschedule the planned fire for later in the week.

The fire is intended to rid the grassland of dry grasses that put the area at risk of fire, especially an invasive weed called medusahead, a purplish grass that flowers in the spring and dries into a blanket of thatch on the ground.

Blankenship said the postponement was due to a logistical matter and had nothing to do with an impending heat wave. Forecasters expect temperatures to reach the mid-80s for most of the week.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.