| With the autumn foilage quickly making West Virginia, indeed, beautiful, it is also time to begin thinking about forest fires. With an unusually dry summer season, the potential for brush / forest / grass fires is elevated. The official "No Burning" season for West Virginia went into effect on October 1. There is absolutely no burning allowed between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. After 4 p.m. it is the land-owners discretion to burn, but they are held responsible for any fires that get out of control. Last year, Athens responded to numerous brush fires, though most were quickly contained within a few hours or less. For more info on the law visit the WVDNR The most imporant things to remember are to follow the law, and use common sense. If the wind is especially high, don't burn. Even if there is a slight breeze, the potential for big gusts still exists, and a fire could quickly get out of control. If you do decide to burn, do it in small quantities at at time. Most brush fires are started because the debris being burned it too much for one or two people to safely contain. |