Burning brush not worth the risk right now
On Monday, Adams Township supervisors extended a temporary ban on burning that started earlier this month. On Tuesday, the National Weather Service issued a warning that there would be an elevated risk of fire spread due to ongoing dry, windy conditions in Butler County.
Earlier this month, several volunteer fire chiefs told the Butler Eagle they’d like residents to stop burning until the dry conditions let up, as their departments have been stretched thin at times.
Residents are asked to take care when using machinery, cigarettes or matches. This is not the time to be casually tossing a lit cigarette from a car window because when grass and litter are already dry to begin with they can catch fire very easily. As the entire country saw a few months ago in Los Angeles, a single spark can be picked up by a gust of wind and spread rapidly.
A brush fire in Clay Township on March 10, took out at least 3 acres of woodlands and led to the shutdown of the Canadian National Railway, which had a section of track near the fire site.
Adams Township manager Gary Peaco said this week he understands people want to burn as the days get warmer, because they want to clear their yards to get ready for springtime. But when that brush is dry and dead, combined with high winds and low-humidity, it’s too dangerous to make it worth it.
Unionville Volunteer Fire Company Chief Nathan Wulff said fires should be monitored with tools on hand to put them out, but burning should be avoided this time of year.
The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources recommends restricting burning to the early morning and late evening to avoid windy conditions.
We’re all excited to see the sun again, and there’s no doubt that warmer temperatures get us antsy to get outside and spruce things up a bit; but it won’t matter much if an errant spark gets loose, right?
So let’s all do our part and wait until conditions improve if we can’t get rid of our brush without a burn.
— KL
For more information about wildfire danger and wildfire prevention and education, visit www.pa.gov and search for “wildfire.”
