The Logan County fire departments believe they have enough of the requirements to require a county burn ban. Currently, the county sits in a severe drought.
During Monday morning’s Board of County Commissioner’s (BOCCC) Meeting, Chairman Monty Piearcy informed the board that the fire departments reached out to Emergency Manager David Ball on enacting a burn ban.
Piearcy requested Ball to deliver documentation to him to verify if the county meets state requirements of a county ban. If requirements are met, the BOCC will call for a special meeting to consider action on the ban.
Currently, nine counties are under a county burn ban with those counties primarily in southeastern Oklahoma.
“We are extremely dry,” Guthrie Fire Chief Eric Harlow said. “The fuel loads are prime for burning fiercely. When we get warmer than average days, low humidity and high winds, we have a perfect recipe for devastating, fast moving wildfires.”
Harlow added, “If this ban is put in place and prevents one fire from happening, it’s done its job.”
Prior to passage of a burn-ban resolution, the board of county commissioners must declare the existence of extreme fire danger. As defined in the law, extreme fire danger means:
1. Severe, extreme, or exceptional drought conditions exist within the county as determined by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
2. No more than one-half (1/2) inch of precipitation is forecast for the next three (3) days by the National Weather Service.
3. Fire occurrence is significantly greater than normal for the season and/or initial attack on a significant number of wildland fires has been unsuccessful due to extreme fire behavior and/or where data is available, more than twenty percent (20%) of the wildfires in the county have been caused by escaped debris burning or controlled burning.
A majority of the board of county commissioners may call an emergency meeting at any time to pass or revoke a resolution declaring a period of extreme fire danger in accordance with this section.
It is unlawful for any person to set fire to any forest, grass, range, crop or other wildlands, or to build a campfire or bonfire, or to burn trash or other material that may cause a forest, grass, range, crop or other wildlands fire in any county of this state in which the board of county commissioners of the county has passed a resolution declaring a period of extreme fire danger.
Harlow placed residents within the city limits of Guthrie under a city-wide burn ban.
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