Officials worry about dry conditions, wind creating fire hazard

Fayette County fire officials have begun handing out warning citations in an effort to curb residents using fire to dispose of debris.

Officials are worried that current dry conditions combined with wind could help any stray spark start a wildfire, said Interim Public Safety Director Allen McCullough. Plus, he added, no one in Fayette should be burning outdoors anyway because the annual ban on outdoor burning took effect May 1.

Despite the ban, outdoor burning incidents have been occurring on a daily basis, McCullough said.

Fire officials are prepared to issue citations with fines for violators of the burn ban because the danger is so strong, McCullough said. The burn ban is in effect to improve air quality during the summer months, and despite announcements in local media, a notice on the county’s web site and a message on the county’s phone line for burning permits, some residents are still unaware of the burn ban, he said.

The dry weather is so bad that McCullough even urges smokers to use more care when disposing of their cigarette butts, because even they can provide the spark to set off a wildfire.

McCullough said the department is focusing on educating the public at this point, but citations with fines will be issued to chronic violators.

He added that the department doesn’t want to fine residents but the situation has become so troublesome with the drought that it may become necessary to convince everyone to obey the burn ban.
“I think people are going to look at this and realize this is bad and they shouldn’t do this,” McCullough said.

When an outdoor burning site is reported, fire crews respond and extinguish the fire, and then they leave the scene so they can be ready to respond to another call.

Later the resident will be visited by a supervisor from the county’s bureau of fire prevention and the citation, whether a warning or not, will be issued, McCullough said.

Because wildfires can spread quickly, officials urge residents to call 911 immediately upon any fire sighting, McCullough said. The difference of even a minute or so can spell the difference between successfully containing a fire or it getting out of control.

In addition to posing the fire threat, outdoor burning also causes problems for people with pre-existing conditions such as asthma and chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Children and the elderly can also be affected by smoke from outdoor burning, which contributes to contaminants in the atmosphere.

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