Despite a cold front moving through the area Saturday night with some rain in parts of the mountains, the statewide burn ban is still in effect.
Both the Town of Franklin and Macon County confirmed there were no changes since the original ban was declared March 28. At that time, the town issued a Fire Danger Emergency banning “all open burning” regardless of location.
“All are still in effect. The Town will not rescind until the Forest Service does so,” said Amie Owens, town manager for Franklin.
Todd Seagle, Macon’s emergency management director, said, “There have been no changes or updates to the current burn ban. We still prohibit burning within 100 ft. of an occupied dwelling for all areas within Macon County. The NCFS ban prohibits burning beyond the 100 ft. mark. These bans will remain in effect until we receive substantial rainfall.”
Yesterday, in a social media post, the North Carolina Forest Service (NCFS) announced the continuation of the order: All open burning is prohibited until further notice.
The restriction includes fire pits, campfires and fireworks. Barbecue pits are ok for cooking, but cooking over an open flame, like a campfire, is prohibited.
Regarding those with permits for burning, the ban prohibits all burning, regardless of whether a permit was previously issued. The issuance of any new permits has been suspended until the ban is lifted. Anyone violating the burn ban faces a $100 fine plus $183 court costs. Any person responsible for setting a fire may be liable for any expenses related to extinguishing the fire.
“With drought severity across the state, forecast fire weather and the potential for limited rainfall, it is critical to reduce the number of new fire starts,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler for the original declaration. “Vegetative fuels will dry rapidly, and with the amount of fuel loading in the mountains and drought impacts statewide, a burn ban for all 100 counties is necessary to reduce the number of wildfires across our landscape. Please follow this burn ban to help reduce the risk for everyone.”
More details
According to the NC Forest Service, open burning includes burning leaves, branches or other plant material. In all cases, burning trash, lumber, tires, newspapers, plastics or other non-vegetative material is illegal.
Campfires are forbidden as they are considered open burning, and fireworks are prohibited.
Residents may still use grills and barbecues, if local ordinances do not prohibit it.
Residents should call 911 to report a wildfire.
More rain is expected in the mountains this weekend, but that is no guarantee the bans will be lifted.
Current local wildfires
According to the North Carolina’s forest service, as of April 14 there were 41 wildfires across the state impacting more than 68 acres .
In Macon County, the forest service’s website reported that firefighters were managing a remote wildfire in the Nantahala National Forest. The fire was about 25 acres as of April 18 and was 80 percent contained at that time.
Macon Sense will update this article as new information is shared.