Due to arid conditions, several local municipalities enacted burn bans on Monday.

Mahoning Township posted that due to the extremely dry conditions and the very low water levels in the creeks, streams and river, a burn ban is now in effect.

As of late Monday afternoon, Carbon County Emergency Management Director Zach Gilbert said they were notified of four municipalities that had a burn ban in place: Mahoning Township, Nesquehoning, Bowmanstown and East Penn Township.

Gilbert explained why it’s important for residents to adhere to burn bans when they’re in place.

“You want to abide by it,” Gilbert said. “They have the ability to cite based off that burn ban.”

Gilbert noted that most municipalities tend to have some type of ordinance that addresses burning, and based on that ordinance, violations could result in citations.

He added that while some offenses are minimal, some are more severe based on the occurrences, adding “It’s not something that you want to mess around with.”

“If the town or the township goes into that burn ban, you just don’t want to burn, period,” Gilbert said. “There’s a reason why it’s being enacted; they’re inhibiting some sort of natural disaster by putting that burn ban into effect.”

“Check your town or township’s local ordinances; there are some that have an ordinance that bans any sort of outside open flame burning, and that’s a year-round type thing,” he said. “You always want to make sure that your local officials don’t already have something in place, and it’s not just certain times of the year, it’s all the time.”

Fall leaves and fire

Prevention is key as we approach the fall season, according to Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn.

“There’s dry leaves on the ground, very dry conditions across Pennsylvania,” Dunn said. “And people’s fall activities really can come together for a really bad situation.”

Dunn said that includes wildfires and debris burning.

“One thing people need to be aware of if you start a fire and it burns off your property and it’s a major wildfire, they’re responsible for the cost by Pennsylvania state law,” she said. “There’s a huge financial component to starting wildfire that people are often not aware of; you need to be careful first and foremost for safety and environment, also there’s a tremendous cost associated with causing a wildfire.”

Dunn added that most wildfires in Pennsylvania, 99%, are caused by people, often from people who are debris burning.

“If you have debris, some municipalities will provide places for people to bring debris, some collect leaves, some don’t, they can mulch it,” she said. “Think about doing something other than burning the debris.”

Dunn added that another cause can be campfires, combined with the beginning of hunting season, along with equipment use, be it a motor bike or an ATV.

“With fall camping, (there’s) leaves coming down, so if you do have a camp fire (in non-burn ban areas), clear a big area around your campfire, keep a water source handy, a rake handy to control any escaping embers,” she said. “Never leave a fire unattended.”

Dunn said it’s especially important that when you’re finished, to douse it with water until the embers or coal is out.

“If you see smoke or fire, call it in,” she said. “It’s better safe than sorry; getting them early can really help.”

Dunn added, “We have had fatalities and injuries when people try to continue managing a debris fire when it’s gotten out of control, they don’t call for help soon enough.