RIVERSIDE (CNS) - Amid heightened fire danger, Riverside County Fire officials will suspend burn permits for residential landscape debris and close seven ``hazardous fire areas'' in the region this week.
Fire officials said February was the driest month for the state since the 1850s and the warming temperatures and winds ahead will only continue to dry out annual grass crop.
``Winter and spring rains have lent to aggressive growth of grass and vegetation. Paired with unseasonably warmer days, the vegetation is beginning to quickly dry out and becoming a fire hazard. I urge all Riverside County residents to take advantage of hardening your homes to protect you and your property from an approaching wildfire,'' Cal Fire Riverside Chief Shawn Newman said.
The indefinite burn ban goes into e
