(WKBN) — Ohio’s burn ban is normally in October and November, but some parts have been put under it early. It’s right on the fringe of the Mahoning Valley.
The ground is dry. Ohio has 28 counties under a ban on open burning.
Kevin Reardon is the state fire marshal. He issued the burning ban based on any part of a county experiencing extreme or exceptional drought conditions as labeled by the Department of Agriculture or other government agency.
“We are in drought conditions that I’m told have been the worst in 22 years,” Reardon said. “That means that the ground conditions are very, very dry. Very susceptible to any form of a spark that can start a fire from any number of sources, but they all begin with an open flame of some sort.”
According to the National Park Service, nearly 85% of wildfires are caused by humans, and some of the main causes are unattended campfires or bonfires, the burning of debris, and negligently discarded cigarettes.
Things prohibited by the burn ban include any open burning of trash, debris or waste, even leaf piles, campfires and bonfires, throwing down a cigarette, even using fireworks.