Smell something burning? See smoke drifting over the Bay?
It’s probably the prescribed fire on Angel Island.
On Tuesday, California State Parks, Cal Fire, and the Marin County Fire Department began burning vegetation across roughly 260 acres on Angel Island, a roughly one-square-mile island in the Bay just offshore of Tiburon. The burn will continue for several more days, conditions permitting, the agencies said in a press release.
The fire will eliminate some invasive plants, reduce the fuel load on the island, and help native plants and other species, which rely on periodic, low-intensity fires for habitat. California increasingly relies on prescribed fires to restore the health of its forests and reduce dead wood and brush that can fuel much bigger, more destructive conflagrations.
Authorities are asking people not to call 911 if they smell or see smoke coming from the island.
Angel Island will remain open to visitors during the burn, park officials said. But some trails will be closed. Check out Angel Island State Park’s website for more information.
Smoke from prescribed burns seen from Berkeley on Sept. 8, 2026. Credit: courtesy of David Mostardi
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Before joining The Oaklandside as News Editor, Darwin BondGraham was a freelance investigative reporter covering police and prosecutorial misconduct. He has reported on gun violence for The Guardian and was a staff writer for the East Bay Express. He holds a doctorate in sociology from UC Santa Barbara and was the co-recipient of the George Polk Award for local reporting in 2017. He is also the co-author of The Riders Come Out at Night, a book examining the Oakland Police Department’s history of corruption and reform.