FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 20, 2026
Contact:
Lyz Bantilan, Public Information Officer, (805) 979-8283
Air Pollution Control District Launches Prescribed Burns Map
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) is announcing its new Prescribed Burns Map: RxBurns.OurAir.org. Prescribed burns are carefully controlled burns of standing vegetation or burn piles — conducted by trained and certified professionals, usually firefighters — that can help prevent the spread of wildfire, among other ecological benefits. The map is a user-friendly tool to view information about upcoming, active, and past prescribed burns. The map offers a full range of features for every burn:
- Type and purpose of the burn
- Responsible Fire Agency
- Number of acres to be burned
- Each public notification for the burn
Additional useful features of the map include:
- A search tool to look up prescribed burns by Fire Agency name or the name of the burn
- Current air quality conditions from APCD’s network of monitors and low-cost sensors
- Imminent/active burns have a red icon, while all other burns are shown with a gray icon
- Historical information for prescribed burns for the past 18 months
The map is meant to add a visual component to APCD’s existing outreach tools for prescribed burns. The APCD manages smoke and air quality impacts from prescribed burns, while responsible fire agencies plan and conduct the burns. For several years, APCD has used a two-step public notification process for prescribed burns: 1) a news release is issued several weeks ahead of the intended burn date, and 2) a media advisory is issued either the day before or morning of the first day of a prescribed burn. Anyone can sign up to receive public notifications about prescribed burns on APCD’s website: www.OurAir.org/subscribe.
“We have heard from community members that a mapping element would be an especially helpful addition to our prescribed burn notification process,” said APCD Executive Director, Aeron Arlin Genet. “We hope our new Prescribed Burns Map adds clarity and transparency to prescribed burning in Santa Barbara County.”
APCD worked with Monarch Weather & Climate Intelligence (Monarch) to create the Prescribed Burns Map and with the California Air Resources Board to feed data from a statewide prescribed burning information system to APCD’s map. Monarch also created APCD’s revamped Permitted Facilities Map, released in 2025; that map shows comprehensive facility records for the stationary sources of air pollution regulated by APCD.
The Prescribed Burns Map does not include information about permit burns. Permit burns, known informally as “ag burns” or “backyard burns,” can be initiated by property owners only in designated areas and on designated days with a permit from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department. The Santa Barbara County Fire Department has a mapping tool for permit burns: https://sbcfire.com/permit-burning/.