Garvin County is under a 14-day burn ban that will run through Aug. 31.
The Garvin County Board of Commissioners approved the ban on all outdoor burning during their regular meeting Monday morning, due to excessively dry conditions and extreme temperatures which are forecast to continue into next week.
Fire chiefs across the county were split when polled prior to Monday’s meeting on whether a burn ban is needed yet, according to Garvin County Emergency Management Director David Johnson, who said fire officials on the western side of the county were in favor of the ban, while those in eastern sections were not quite ready to take that step.
Johnson advised the board that Garvin County does meet the legal criteria for the ban due to drought conditions and extreme heat.
As of press time Wednesday, Garvin County was one of 38 Oklahoma counties to have an active burn ban resolution in place. Those include all counties along Interstate 35 from the Red River to north of Guthrie.
The burn ban prohibits all outdoor burning including campfires, bonfires and burning of trash. It does allow for grilling in a gas or charcoal grill with the proper precautions, and state law includes exceptions for agricultural producers who need to use prescribed fire to manage land resources, provided proper papertown work and procedures are followed. More information on prescribed fire can be obtained from the Garvin County Extension Office or the Oklahoma State Forestry Department.
You can find the full burn ban resolution and links to the Oklahoma Forestry Services map of counties currently under a burn ban posted with this article online at gcnewsstar. com.
