Board of Supervisors OKs Closure of Sites During Wildfire Season

RIVERSIDE - The Board of Supervisors today authorized Riverside County's fire chief to close access to seven hiking and off-road sites where fire danger is highest in the summer months.

The board, without comment, unanimously approved the closures in the central and southwest portions of the county, as it has done every year since 2007.

Like last year, Chief John Hawkins asked that the closures begin in May ''because of the potential of dangerous fires in these areas,'' according to a Fire Department statement.

Dry conditions raise the risk of wildfires, and fighting them would be challenging,...