Garvin County is under a burn ban due to excessively dry conditions which are causing extreme fire danger across the area.
The Garvin County Board of Commissioners passed a resolution authorizing the burn ban, effective immediately, during their regular meeting Monday morning. Garvin County Emergency Director Dave Johnson advised commissioners he had spoken with fire chiefs around the county and all were in support of a burn ban because of the “extreme fire conditions that exist now in the county and are going to exist for the next eight to 10 days.”
The ban will be in effect for the next 30 days unless conditions improve, and it could be extended longer if they do not.
The burn ban prohibits “setting fire to any forest, grass range, crop or other wild lands” and outdoor burning including campfires, bonfires and burning trash.
Gas grills and charcoal-fired cooking in a grill receptacle are permitted as long as the grill is on a non-flammable surface and at least five feet from flammable vegetation. Extreme caution should be exercised even with permissible outdoor grilling when high wind conditions exist.
Penalties for violating the burn ban can include a fine of up to $500 and up to a year in jail.
The resolution also includes specific exceptions for using equipment related to welding, road construction projects and oilfield and landfill activities:
•Welders, grinders and cutting torches may be used over a non-combustible surface of at least 10 feet by 10 feet. When welding, blankets or screens must be used to cover flammable vegetation, wind speeds must be less than 20 mph, and an additional fire watcher must be posted at the site with pressurized water or a fire extinguisher.
•Road construction equipment using propane or another controlled-type burner is generally considered safe, but crews should have a water pumper on standby when equipment is used near a grassy right-ofway.
•Gas vents and flares associated with the extraction of oil and gas are considered exempt as long as the top of the vent pipe is raised well above the surrounding vegetation. Sludge pits should not be burned while the ban is in effect, and fire training exercises within confines of refinery boundaries are exempt from the ban.
