West Virginia Spring Fire season, burning restrictions will return on March 1st

The beginning of the annual spring season in West Virginia on Saturday, March 1st, is the return of burning restrictions. The West Virginia Division of Forestry (WV DOF) reminds the residents of restricting the burning of outdoor to 5 p.m. to 7 a.m., as the State Code in West Virginia, chapter 20-3-5. The fires set during this time must be published before 7 a.m.

“Although we had a wet and snow -capped winter, it doesn't take long for our fuels to dry out. Since January 1st we have reacted to 29 fires that burned about 161.6 acres. We would like to ask the public to follow the burning restrictions, especially under sunny and windy conditions, ”said Jeremy Jones, Director/State Forester of the West Virginia Division of Forestry.

The nationwide incineration restrictions will remain in force until the Spring fire season is concluded on May 31. The dividing of forestry has published burning guidelines on its website at wvfortry.com/fire-laws.

Regulations include:

• All fires must have a safety strip.
• The safety strip itself must be made of flammable material and at least 10 feet wide.
• The fire must be visited until they are completely deleted.
• Only vegetative materials such as leaves, brushes and court sections may be burned.
• Spark machines such as electric shovels or sawmills that are exposed to the fire must contain an appropriate spark arrestor.
• Disposal areas Inflammatory waste must remove all grass, brushes, dirt and other inflammatory materials alongside disposal areas every year in order to ensure adequate protection, which prevents the fire from escaping into adjacent areas.

“Our fire laws protect one of the most valuable resources in West Virginia, our forests,” said Jones. “We demand everyone who decides to burn everything outside in order to be fully familiar with the guidelines available on our website. It doesn't take long for our fuels to dry out and easily escape in the spring months. “

Commercial burning in forbidden periods requires approval, which is issued by local WVDOF offices. A permit is required for every commercial combustion center.

Every person or company that causes a fire on grass or forest land must reimburse the state for the costs of suppression the fire. Finnats for forest fires caused by negligence are between 100 and 1,000 US dollars with an additional civilian punishment of $ 200.